dccode.org

the DC Code

how it got done

first why

i ride my bike

there's an illegal valet service on 14th street

not cool! let's fix this

let's link to the law

Before last month YOU COULD NOT LINK TO ANY DC LAW

YOU COULD NOT LINK TO ANY DC LAW

YOU COULD NOT CITE THE DC LAW WITH A HYPERLINK

HYPERLINKS MATTER AND THE LAW MATTERS

Code?

In law, codification is the process of collecting and restating the law of a jurisdiction in certain areas, usually by subject, forming a legal code, i.e. a codex (book) of law.

The Capitalsaurus shall be the official Dinosaur of the District of Columbia. §1-161j

It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to play the game of football, or any other game with a ball, in any of the streets, avenues, or alleys in the City of Washington; nor shall it be lawful for any person or persons to play the game of bandy, shindy, or any other game by which a ball, stone, or other substance is struck or propelled by any stick, cane, or other substance in any street, avenue, or alley in the City of Washington, under a penalty of not more than $5 for each and every such offense. §22-1308

A person who commits first degree murder that constitutes an act of terrorism shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment for life without the possibility of release. § 22-3153

Before last month YOU COULD NOT LINK TO ANY DC LAW

So the code is the law

Freeing?

Laws are open*

Laws are open: copyright compendium, case law, standard practice

Laws are open: everyone can agree, right?

the DC Law Was unlinkable

the DC Law Was illegal to download (this would stand up in court)

the DC Law had © registered by the DC Government (this wouldn't)

Laws are open: so how was this one closed and how did it get to be that way?

Open means ownership

Portals != open

The Code is Codified Bills

DC's Council drafts & passes laws as bills

DC's Council posts bills to a portal

LexisNexis downloads bills and compiles them into the 'official code'

LexisNexis has the only complete digital copy of the official code

(let's get that copy)

nongovernment, so no FOIA

what next?

(this is the part that took from september to april)

1. Understanding

2. Finding the opening

CONTRACTS RULE EVERYTHING

no really

CONTRACTS RULE EVERYTHING

FOIA Contract with WestLaw →

'Computer tapes' = email of Word Documents

Word Documents = gross?

Word Documents = don't care

Word Documents were copyright infected and it took a day to remove the logos

(thanks Josh Tauberer & V David Zvenyach)

Word Documents!

what's next?

step one: a better browser

open source & simple

simple means simple. worry about the problem at hand: putting laws on the internet. do not overarchitect. build fast.

in short, be dumb

thousands of laws = thousands of JSON files

why?

almost free to host

it's easy to build a better portal than lexis

it's easy to do a better job than lexis

it's cheap to do a better job than lexis

step two: create with the code

code → LaTeX → thelaw.pdf

code → the code on an iphone

code → search

step three: sustainable?

contractors aren't sustainable

west → lexis

took over four months to transition

could have lost data

on the other hand

open source

belongs to nobody.
is passed down.
regenerates by rewriting.
cares about data.

and makes lots of copies because that's the right way to do data.

finally we can make copies of this open data, and do more with it.

want a copy?

thanks

dccode.org

@tmcw / macwright.org

thanks carl malamud, josh tauberer, v david zvenyach, benjamin bryant, andrew schmadel, eric mill, and many more