Published opinions may be authored by a particular judge or may be issued per curiam. There is a fee for ABBS service. ABBS is available around the clock seven days a week. The court's opinions are hosted on the Internet by Washburn University School of Law Library. More and more federal court information is available on the world wide web.
Many courts have web pages, where docket information is available.
Docket sheets and sometimes copies of documents can be downloaded. Unpublished orders and judgments of the circuit court have no precedential value and do not bind other panels of the court. However, they may be cited if they have persuasive value with respect to a material issue that has not been addressed in a published opinion and the unpublished disposition would assist the court. A copy of the unpublished disposition must be provided with the document in which it is cited. Orders and judgments show the names of the judges who constituted the panel.