On the days opinions were handed down, the Court initially sent them to 12 news and nonprofit organizations, which made them immediately available online to their subscribers.
The project was nicknamed Hermes, after the Greek messenger of the Gods. Medtronic, Inc., a patent infringement case. The first opinion transmitted was Eli Lilly & Co. v. As the opinions were announced, the floppy discs were inserted into a stand-alone computer followed up by a set of commands that “dialed out” to other modems thereby sending a stream of electronic transmissions containing the text of the opinion.
Since the Court’s computer environment operated as a closed system, Data Systems employees copied the day’s four opinions onto 5 1/4” floppy discs in advance and prepared them for publication. On Monday, June 18, 1990, the Supreme Court transmitted opinions electronically for the first time.
