A united mid-level appeals court in Albany recently ruled that an upstate town court clerk had to provide transcripts of criminal cases to information seekers, even when the requestor doesn't narrow the search by providing a case docket number.

It was recently bemoaned by Harris Beach appeals lawyers, who say the legal standard on busy New York clerks is so labor-intensive, they stand to serve as "full-time records custodians" without enough time to support judges who count on them to keep up with litigants' needs.