Six Years in: What Lawyers Want From Tax Court’s DAWSON System

Six years after its launch, the US Tax Court’s independently-operated case filing and management site has earned praise from practitioners as one of the best across state and federal court systems—but a handful of finishing touches could refine it.

The Tax Court faces an unusual tension between providing public access to court filings and protecting sensitive information. To improve public access to filings, in December 2020, the court launched DAWSON—Docket Access Within a Secure Online Network—a free filing system named after Judge Howard A. Dawson, the court’s longest-serving judge who is remembered as a meticulous record keeper.

While practitioners agree ...