Court Tech Notes and News

After our summer break, here are some notes and news that accumulated in the interim.

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North Carolina Announces CIO Position

The NC Administrative Office of the Courts seeks a business focused technology leader to develop and implement the next generation of court technology, while optimizing the current technology portfolio to prepare for future changes.

This and That in Court Technology, August 2013 Edition

News and updates from around the court tech world.

Corpus Christi Municipal Court issues RFP

The City of Corpus Christi “City”, Texas Municipal Court is seeking proposals from qualified Proposers for a MUNICIPAL COURT AUTOMATED CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.  The court will also consider jury system functionality as part of this RFP.

Vendors interested in responding will need to register via the Public Purchase website at: http://www.publicpurchase.com/gems/cctexas,tx/buyer/public/home  This same website will be used to upload responses to the RFP.

Why E-filing Fees are Not a Tax

Recent news prompts a response on the need for court E-filing Fees.

Texas Modifies Mandatory E-Filing Rules

On June 24, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an amended order requiring electronic filing by attorneys in the appellate courts, district courts, statutory county courts, constitutional county courts and statutory probate courts.

Court Case Management Systems Part 10: Documents

Courts produce documents…lots of documents.  So Court Case Management Systems (CCMS) should help to produce and manage them.

Avoiding the Zimmerman Trial Skype Problem

The high profile trial of defendant George Zimmerman in the Florida State Courts had an embarrassing moment with Skype video conferencing on July 3, 2013. There is a way to keep that from happening.

Handwritten Signatures – Now a Punch Line

The June 24, 2013 edition of the Dilbert Comic Strip pokes fun at “original signatures”.

This and That in Court Technology – June, 2013

CTC-2013 Keynote, Alec Ross

Everyone must be getting ready for vacation.  We have a lot to share in this start of summer 2013 edition.

NCSC Issues RFI for ERP System Solutions

The NCSC is embarking on a mission to implement a software solution that will support improved administrative business processes.  Vendors are invited to provide complete ERP solutions, or they may partner with other providers to ensure a complete solution of integrated “best of breed” products. Responses to the Request for Information (RFI) should be submitted no later than July 1, 2013.

Judge Herbert Dixon Shares His Juror "Internet Charge"

The "Googling Juror" is a continual challenge to trial judges.  Here is how one addresses the issue in plain language.

eCitation – Now!

Courts are greatly benefiting from the adoption of eCitation systems by law enforcement.

This and That Notes in Court Technology - End of May, 2013 Edition

News from CTC-2013, Florida, Bell Labs, NASCIO, Ars Technica, and Ohio…

Connecticut Courts Announce Self-Represented E-Service Enhancements

The self-represented can now access Connecticut State Courts electronic services.

Email and E-Filing

Maybe it is time to think differently about Email?

An Important Report on the Needs of Self-Represented Litigants Released

A significant report has been created and shared by Dr. Julie Macfarlane at the University of Windsor, Canada with results that all courts should consider.  Her report is summarized by our good friend, Rob Richards of the Legal Informatics Blog.

Washington State Courts Announce Data Breach

Via Press Release, May 9, 2013

OLYMPIA, WA -- The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) announced today that a data breach occurred recently on its public website.  No court records were altered and no financial data was maintained on the site. However, it has been confirmed that 94 social security numbers were obtained. There is also the potential that up to 160,000 social security numbers and 1 million driver license numbers may have been accessed as well.

This and That in Court Technology – May, 2013

Lots of news for our court technology friends...

Big Discovery, Big Evidence?

Some interesting articles arrived this week.

Court Case Management Systems Part 9B: Scheduling and Calendaring

In the previous article we discussed the concept of “buckets” or “slots” that are created so that cases can be assigned in a controlled and orderly manner.  And we also discussed the idea of scheduling a team of staff.  But there are many additional needs that should be addressed in a modern court calendaring system.

Court Case Management Systems Part 9A: Scheduling and Calendaring

This edition of our Court Case Management Systems series will discuss court scheduling and calendaring.  This first part will focus on core functionality while in the next, we will discuss what needs to be done to have scheduling and calendaring systems take advantage of existing and future technology.

NIEM 3.0 Alpha 2 Draft Open Public Review Announced

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) working groups have announced a public review of their latest draft standard.

Virginia Courts Announce E-Filing Pilot

Press Release - April 10, 2013

The Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and George E. Schaefer, Clerk of the Norfolk Circuit Court, announce that the Virginia Judiciary E-Filing System (VJEFS), which allows attorneys to electronically file civil actions in circuit court, will be implemented as a pilot program in the Norfolk Circuit Court, beginning April 15, 2013.

This and That in Court Technology - April 2013

The court tech world has been busy this month, perhaps due to the late arrival of spring?

IJIS & LegalXML Announce "Springboard Program" for E-Filing

On April 2, 2013 the IJIS Institute issued a Call for Participation in cooperation with the OASIS LegalXML Electronic Court Filing workgroup to “spring” development and adoption of the 4.01 standards.

Q&A with Daniel Lewis of Ravel Law

There are many exciting things happening in the world of legal information systems.  One innovative graphical presentation approach has been taken by Ravel.  We were recently fortunate to have Daniel respond to our questions in the following article.

2013 Top Ten Websites Award - Call for Nominations!

The Forum on the Advancement of Court Technology (FACT), a special committee of NACM, is pleased to invite you to nominate a court or court-related website for its 2013 Top Ten Websites Award. All nominations are due no later than May 15 to be considered.

Hello, are you a human?

As courts increasingly introduce online services a key question is whether the Internet connected user is an actual person to validate the action?

Court Case Management Systems Part 8: Criminal Case Sentencing and Consequences

Criminal sentence data is one of the most challenging aspects in Court Case Management Systems design.  This chapter in our ongoing series forwards some ideas on the subject.

California Courts Qualify CMS Vendors

Three case management system providers have been approved by a consortium of California trial courts.

This and That in Court Technology - March 2013

News we have heard from the world of court technology.

Michigan Electronic Filing Manager System Announced

Last year the CTB announced the release of a request for proposal for a statewide E-filing electronic filing manager system for the State of Michigan.  The contract/award was announced today.

Computer Assisted Deception Detection

One of the courts key functions is determining "the truth" in testimony.  There is work being done to provide automated assistance.

Court Scheduling Reform Advocated

In an editorial following the recent and tragic shootings in Wilmington, Delaware on February 12, 2013, there was a call for reform of court scheduling.

More on Open Document Format (ODF)

ODF is an XML international standard for word processing documents that is now fully supported in Microsoft's recent release of Office 2013.  Why does this matter?

CITOC Innovation Award Winner – Barbara Holmes

At the Court Information Technology Officers Consortium (CITOC) Annual Meeting held in December 2012 in Las Vegas, the first Innovation Award winner was announced.

Indiana Courts E-Filing Project Primer

The Indiana Division of State Court Administration has posted a very useful web page on creating and implementing an E-filing system.

CTC 2013 Big Idea Reminder

Don't forget to submit your "Big Ideas" for CTC 2013.  Click here to connect to the survey.

This and That in Court Technology – Groundhog Day 2013 Edition

Some news that we have picked up from the court tech world.  And for our international friends, here is a link to information about what Groundhog Day is and even better, the film.

Court Case Management Systems Part 7: Criminal Charges and Data Sharing

This chapter in our court case management series discusses criminal charge-related issues.

With E-Filing Increasing in Trial Courts, Legislatures Consider How Clerks Are to Create a Record on Appeal

Cross posted from the NCSC Gavel to Gavel blog

NIEM Townhall and CLCT Privacy and Public Access Conference Announcements

Two educational programs were announced by NIEM and the Center for Legal & Court Technology.

CTC 2013 Ideas Requested

The NCSC is asking our court and technology friends what you want to see at CTC 2013?

Court Policies Issued

Several courts have issued new court policies dealing with electronic device use in the courthouse, E-filing, and the California Attorney General provides mobile application privacy recommendations.

Massachusetts Announces Public Access Program

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Probate and Family Court is pleased to announce that publicly available Estate and Administration cases are now accessible via the internet.

Skating to Where the Puck is Going

Celebrating the recent settlement of the National Hockey League labor dispute, we pay homage to Wayne "The Great" Gretsky's quote:  “Skate where the puck is going, not where it’s been”, this week we look at what courts could use from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show in Las Vegas.

Arizona Courts Release Judicial Decision Support RFP

The  Arizona  Supreme  Court  is  requesting proposals  from  qualified  bidders  to  provide  an  automated  judicial  decision  support system  designed  to  reduce  the  courts  reliance  on  paper  that  will  allow  for  real-time updating  and  viewing  of  digital  case  documents.

To download a PDF copy of the RFP click here.

Pennsylvania Expands Internet Access to Case Records

Via Press Release, January 7, 2013 - Pennsylvania CMS Internet access to records expanded.

This and That in Court Tech – January 2013

Here are some things that recently happened in court technology and related areas.