The good and the bad of looking up their case on Pacer

pretzellogic79 · #1 04-28-2015, 12:13 PM

While looking up some federal cases last night on Pacer, I decided to look up my LO's case, an act that I have been avoiding like the plague for six long years. I was present at his sentencing hearing, but honestly couldn't tell you what was said by anyone on record as I sat there in shock and awe at the process. The shock and awe really came from how routine it seemed to the prosecutor and judge while I and his family sat there completely dumbfounded and panic stricken. The judge handed down my LO's sentence like he was handing out ice cream cones to kids - no big deal while my world fell apart.

Sooo...I decided to just bite it and look up the docs on his case. And then I saw it...the transcript from the hearing. Feeling rather brave, I opened it and proceeded to read all 42 agonizing pages of it like a train wreck I couldn't look away from. Most of it was general housekeeping stuff (sentencing guidelines, PSR objections, etc.) until I came across my LO's statement to his family and the one to the judge. It was like being there in the courtroom in some weird out of body experience. It might as well have been six years ago all over again and the tears came.

I didn't get much sleep last night and I had this overwhelming desire to just go and hug him and somehow tell the past him I had seen the future him and everything was going to turn out ok. I am so proud of the progress he has made in fighting his addiction and learning to manage it. His fear back then was that no one that mattered would forgive him for what he did to land himself in federal prison, ironically not on drug charges. Everyone has and time has marched on. He is not one of the forgotten; he lives on in my heart and the hearts of those closest to him that know he is so much more than that one moment in his life.

xolady · #2 04-28-2015, 01:10 PM

I don't know if I would want to ever want to do this. I can only say that your pretty brave. I guess for me it would dredge up such horrible feelings. Frankly I'm glad that I wasn't at my Husband sentencing. I had a hard enough time knowing he was going to prison. Those are feelings that I really don't want go thru ever again.

chosenmemories · #3 04-28-2015, 04:35 PM

I have had to read the log notes and the pre-sentencing report, transcripts, etc. for my husbands case and although I already knew what happened nothing really prepares you for the blow by blow you read in those documents. Although painting him as a worse case offender and an absolute monster is part of the prosecutor's job in his efforts to win the case, I still could not stomach a lot of what I read. What really shocked me was the way he twisted the truth around to suit his purposes. It was a real eye opener as far as the way cases are prosecuted and defended. I learned it isn't about the truth at all, but who tells the more believable story!

xolady · #4 04-28-2015, 04:45 PM

I read the transcripts from my best friends then boyfriends trial for 2nd degree murder. They made him out to be some deranged lunatic. Yes its eye opening its awful but we having dealt with the "system" know the system is so one sided. I can't wait till my biggest fear of being prosecuted for a parking ticket.

jadah · #5 04-28-2015, 07:09 PM

I have kept transcripts of everything the whole time. I have to go back and read it to process everything anyway...so it was just something I did.

ACsgirl · #6 04-29-2015, 06:34 AM

Can anyone look up a case on pacer? I was his co-defendant and I would like to read about our cases. Although, my charges were dropped to misdemeanors his (one) charge remained a felony I believe is because of criminal history there was no evidence and he was still charged so we are still trying to figure out exactly why Thanks

pretzellogic79 · #7 04-29-2015, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACsgirl

Can anyone look up a case on pacer? I was his co-defendant and I would like to read about our cases. Although, my charges were dropped to misdemeanors his (one) charge remained a felony I believe is because of criminal history there was no evidence and he was still charged so we are still trying to figure out exactly why Thanks

You have to register for an account with Pacer. You will choose a username and password and they will mail you an access code in the mail which you use to complete your account setup. It's free to do.

To my knowledge, this is only good for Fed cases and some documents are not available for viewing depending on the info they contain.

pretzellogic79 · #8 04-29-2015, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chosenmemories

I have had to read the log notes and the pre-sentencing report, transcripts, etc. for my husbands case and although I already knew what happened nothing really prepares you for the blow by blow you read in those documents. Although painting him as a worse case offender and an absolute monster is part of the prosecutor's job in his efforts to win the case, I still could not stomach a lot of what I read. What really shocked me was the way he twisted the truth around to suit his purposes. It was a real eye opener as far as the way cases are prosecuted and defended. I learned it isn't about the truth at all, but who tells the more believable story!

Going back and reading through the transcripts, I too was taken aback by how the prosecutor demonized him and made him out to be the scum of the earth. Of course as his LO, I get all defensive and then have to realize it was his job to do this to assist in their goal to get the max sentence allowable by the guidelines.

But still, I found myself talking back to the screen like, "How DARE you say THAT about my LO!" and then I realized it was time to call it a day and go to sleep and let it go. I got what I thought I needed out of reading it and it's time to let that chapter close. Any additional reading and analysis of it would be self-defeating at that point.

ACsgirl · #9 04-29-2015, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pretzellogic79

You have to register for an account with Pacer. You will choose a username and password and they will mail you an access code in the mail which you use to complete your account setup. It's free to do.

To my knowledge, this is only good for Fed cases and some documents are not available for viewing depending on the info they contain.

What makes some thing federal if the cars was supreme court does that make it federal?

pretzellogic79 · #10 04-29-2015, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACsgirl

What makes some thing federal if the cars was supreme court does that make it federal?

Honestly, I don't know what makes a case federal vs. state. Some cases start on the state level and then go federal if/when the feds pick it up. Every case is unique. You can always register for the site and see if the case is there. You can search by participant name.

CenTexLyn · #11 04-29-2015, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACsgirl

Can anyone look up a case on pacer? I was his co-defendant and I would like to read about our cases. Although, my charges were dropped to misdemeanors his (one) charge remained a felony I believe is because of criminal history there was no evidence and he was still charged so we are still trying to figure out exactly why Thanks

ONLY federal cases will be on PACER...some offenders will file civil complaints that are on the system as well, but those are rarely going to have facts associated with the offense(s) for which they are presently incarcerated.

CenTexLyn · #12 04-29-2015, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACsgirl

What makes some thing federal if the cars was supreme court does that make it federal?

Violations of federal law are prosecuted in federal court while violations of State law are prosecuted in State court.

On very rare exception, you might see one like the APD detective who has just gotten approval to have his manslaughter case removed to federal court, but that was a very specific set of facts underlying the request to remove.