NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Court Rulings to Be Sent by Computer

Supreme Court staff members met with publishing and news industry representatives to discuss the nuts and bolts of making the court’s opinions available by computer within minutes of their announcement from the bench. “We hope this meeting will bring us one step closer to providing such a distribution system,” said James R. Donovan, director of data systems for the court. The system could be in place by spring, and will be run as a two-year experiment. Most of those who attended the meeting represent companies that, if selected as a subscriber, would sell the opinions to others. One sticking point discussed was the requirement that the necessary start-up technology be financed by would-be distributors before they know whether they are among the 10 to 15 subscribers selected by the court.