What this page is
A running status page for RECAP integration, data contributions, and how the Open Bankruptcy Project uses CourtListener infrastructure. Not public, not indexed. Updated as things change.
Project Overview
The Open Bankruptcy Project is building open-source tools for bankruptcy court transparency. The core dataset is 5.1 million FJC cases cross-referenced with PACER docket data. The project discovered that 392,412 Chapter 13 prior filers received discharges without any publicly verifiable 1328(f) eligibility check -- a systemic gap with no federal audit mechanism.
RECAP and CourtListener are critical infrastructure for this work. CourtListener's API provides enriched docket data at zero cost. The RECAP archive has already been used to enrich 11,000+ cases. The goal is deeper integration and a significant data contribution back.
via RECAP
RECAP donation
donation batch
(out of pocket)
RECAP Donation
Status: Ready, on strategic hold
549+ cases and 3,100+ documents are packaged and ready for RECAP upload. The donation is on hold pending a court hearing (mid-April 2026). The documents include docket sheets, fee applications, and case disposition records from multiple districts -- all paid PACER pulls that would otherwise be unavailable in the RECAP archive.
Donation contents
| Document Type | Count | Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Full docket sheets | 492 | Multiple (primarily Midwest) |
| Fee applications and orders | ~380 | Same |
| Motions and responses | ~1,200 | Same |
| Discharge/dismissal orders | ~935 | Same |
Estimated PACER retail value of this donation: ~$1,500-2,000 (at $0.10/page, many multi-page documents).
Current CourtListener Integration
CourtListener API ACTIVE
Used for docket enrichment, case cross-referencing, and real-time monitoring. API token active.
RECAP Bulk Ingestion ACTIVE
11,038 dockets enriched via RECAP archive at zero cost. Ongoing for new cases.
RECAP Donation ON HOLD
549+ cases / 3,100+ docs packaged. Will upload after mid-April hearing.
Citation Extraction PLANNED
Using eyecite (bundled locally) for case law extraction from mined dockets. Integration with CourtListener citation graph planned.
Tools That Use CourtListener/RECAP
| Tool | Integration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1328(f) Screener | PACER + RECAP fallback | Client-side discharge eligibility checker (sql.js, GitHub Pages) |
| RSS Monitor | PACER RSS feeds | Real-time new filing detection (~200/day, multiple districts) |
| Docket Enrichment Pipeline | CourtListener API | Pulls case metadata, parties, attorneys for cross-referencing |
| Attorney Outcome Analysis | FJC + enriched dockets | Scorecard system for any attorney (dismissal rates, patterns, red flags) |
| Mill Detection Model | FJC + Google reviews | 3-axis composite scorer (new -- see lab notebook) |
PACER Reform Angle
The project independently discovered the same access barrier that Free Law Project has been documenting for years: the data showing the problem is free (FJC); the data confirming actual violations costs money (PACER). The $0.10/page paywall is not just an access issue -- it's an accountability gap. No one audits 1328(f) compliance because the audit itself costs too much.
- $5,200+ spent on PACER out of pocket by a single researcher to identify systemic problems that the courts themselves should be monitoring
- Rules Committee submission accepted (26-BK-3) -- proposed mandatory 1328(f) verification with docket notation, which would make compliance auditable from the free FJC data
- If 26-BK-3 is adopted, the entire 1328(f) verification problem becomes solvable from public data -- no PACER pulls needed. RECAP's value proposition shifts from "access" to "archive" for this class of issues
How Deeper Integration Could Help
Potential collaboration areas
- Bulk RECAP upload pipeline: Best format/method for the 492-case donation? Want to maximize the value for the archive.
- Attorney data enrichment: CourtListener has party/attorney data that the FJC lacks. Cross-referencing could fill the gap in the mill detection model (Axis 3 -- see lab notebook).
- Citation graph integration: Mined dockets contain orders citing case law. Feeding these into CourtListener's citation network would enrich both datasets.
- Ongoing monitoring: RECAP could be the persistent archive for the real-time RSS monitoring pipeline -- every new filing detected gets a RECAP entry.
- PACER fee transparency: The project tracks every cent spent on PACER. This data could inform Free Law Project's PACER reform advocacy.
Progress Log
Collaborator notebook system built. Private, GA4-tracked pages for each research collaborator. This page is part of that system.
RECAP donation packaged. 549+ cases, 3,100+ documents. On hold until post-hearing. Format: organized by court/case number, with metadata JSON for each case.
Open Bankruptcy Project launched. 501(c)(3) filed (EIN 41-5159631). GitHub organization created. 79 domains deployed. Contact form live.
Academic validation received. Empirical legal scholar at a top law school reviewed methodology -- no red flags. Co-authorship discussed. Mentioned being good friends with Free Law Project's founder.