Dirty Laundry, Online for All to See



"It was the natural progression of technology," said Mr. Cissell, the clerk of courts for Hamilton County, whose seat is Cincinnati.

Mr. Cissell's three-person technology staff put together the Web site at www.courtclerk.org. State tax liens, arrest warrants, bond postings — all became searchable and accessible on the Internet.

"Everything we get is scanned and available," said Mr. Cissell, a former United States attorney. "It was very easy to open the door to the public."

Visitors have flowed to the site. So have the complaints.

Divorce lawyers say clients are furious that neighbors are combing through the details of their cases (and are even brazen enough to discuss them with them). A teenager was confronted by his father about a speeding ticket. A man complained to Mr. Cissell's office because his friends discovered his history of domestic violence.