Courthouse News
U.S. center (legal-news wire; little opinion content)
Background
Bill Girdner founded Courthouse News Service in 1990 as a service that gives subscribers daily reports on newly filed civil lawsuits, starting in Southern California. It has since grown into a national operation, with reporters in federal and state courts across the U.S. and a website that publishes articles to the general public. Its main revenue has long been paid subscriptions, mostly from lawyers, law firms, journalists and institutions, and the company has stayed under Girdner's private ownership. The outlet is also known as an advocate for press access. It has sued court clerks in several states over delays in letting reporters see newly filed complaints, and has won several First Amendment rulings. Girdner received the James Madison Award in 2023 for that work. Its reporting covers all kinds of litigation, so its political content depends mainly on which cases are filed and decided. Since January 2025, many of those cases have been challenges to Trump administration actions such as deportation policy, funding cuts and White House press access. Media bias raters and observers generally describe its news reporting as fact-focused and neutral in tone. Because it covers what courts do, it reports often on rulings that go against the administration, but it also covers the administration's appeals and wins.
Sources
- Courthouse News Service (Wikipedia)
- Courthouse News Service - Bias and Credibility (Media Bias/Fact Check)
- Courthouse News Service homepage
- Judge likely to end White House ban on CNN, Politico and MS Now (Courthouse News)
Profile compiled 2026-10-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.