Plea Agreements to Be Available On-line

As reported by Law.com, despite the objections of federal prosecutors apprehensive about the implications of the decision for witness safety, Federal District Judge Federico Moreno of the Southern District of Florida has ordered that plea agreements, like other court documents, will now be posted on-line.  The Department of Justice had fought making the agreements available in this way, citing how websites, such as Whosarat.com, could post information from the agreements and make cooperating witnesses vulnerable to attacks and intimidation.  Pursuant to Judge Moreno's order, the plea agreements will now be available on PACER. However, pursuant to requests in individual cases, specific plea agreements may still be sealed and kept off-line.

JFB