Florida court records to go public.

• Position: OPEN RECORDS - Brief article

The Florida Supreme Court recently approved rules making most state court records available to any Internet user, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida files more than 19 million court documents each year, the Sentinel reported. Making those digital would provide instant access to divorce records, court testimony, and judicial orders to anyone anywhere in the world.

It's quite a change for the state, whose Supreme Court has since 2006 barred county clerks from posting court records online over concerns that online thieves and telemarketing companies might take advantage of the information. Traditionally, however, under the state's open-records law, everything in a paper court file is available to the public unless it is ordered sealed by a judge.

To find middle ground, last year a committee was formed to study court records in the state. It...