LocalDocket News

LocalDocket News is a web app (with optional mobile companion) that helps local journalists and small newsrooms monitor public court dockets and turn them into accurate, publishable story briefs. Users select jurisdictions, case types, keywords, and people/entities to watch. The app ingests docket updates, normalizes messy court metadata, and generates a structured brief: what happened, what’s next, key filings, deadlines, and a plain-language explanation of legal terms. It also flags potential public-interest cases (e.g., corruption, housing, labor, environmental) and provides a checklist for verification and right-to-reply outreach. This is not a “write the whole article” tool; it’s a reporting accelerator that keeps humans in control and reduces the time wasted on scanning PDFs and portals. Export to CMS-friendly formats and maintain an audit trail of sources and links.