Justia.com is a very cool new legal research site that I stumbled upon. What I particularly like is its “front end” for research in the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (ECF) system, which has become extremely comprehensive since most federal district courts now mandate electronic filing.
One part of the site, Federal District Court Filings and Dockets, gives much easier access to the ECF system than the ECF front end, which I’ve always found to be awkward. Justia allows you to look (for example) for all patent cases filed between any two dates, either nationally or in a particular district. Ultimately, Justia dumps you into the ECF system, and you have to be a paid subscriber to access PDF files at eight cents a page.
The site has a number of other interesting areas to explore, such as a Supreme Court center and a searchable collection of legal blogs and podcasts.