TOPEKA—The Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and trial courts in four judicial districts serving some of the state’s most populous urban areas will transition to the new Kansas eCourt case management system in 2023.
The Office of Judicial Administration released an updated rollout plan today that shows go-live dates in 2023 for four judicial districts included in Track 9 and Track 10. The one-county judicial districts will join courts in 100 other Kansas counties already operating on the new system.
Only two other tracks remain in the project. One covers appellate courts (Track 7) and the other the 10th Judicial District (Track 8). Appellate courts will transition in spring 2023 on a date yet to be announced. The 10th Judicial District is not yet scheduled.
Track 10 go-live date April 3
District courts in Track 10 have a go-live date of April 3, 2023. The courts are:
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3rd Judicial District: Shawnee County
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7th Judicial District: Douglas County
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29th Judicial District: Wyandotte County
Track 9 go-live date August 7
The 18th Judicial District, composed of Sedgwick County, is the only court in Track 9. It has a go-live date of August 7, 2023.
Five judicial districts process half of state caseload
Combined, district courts in Tracks 8, 9, and 10 process about half the state’s trial court caseload. Once added to the Kansas eCourt case management system, the number of cases processed using the new system will double.
Kelly O’Brien, chief information officer and project director, said scheduling these courts near the end of the rollout plan was beneficial. It allowed his team and district court personnel to learn more about what others who interact with trial courts need from the new case management system.
“Urban courts have higher caseloads and more integration points we need to account for in our transition plans, so putting them later in the rollout gave us time to assess those needs,” O’Brien said. “We’ve also had time to fine-tune customizations to the case management system to fit Kansas laws and court rules, which will help smooth the transition for these high-volume courts.”
Track 8: Johnson County District Court
The Office of Judicial Administration has not set a go-live date for Johnson County District Court, the only court in Track 8 and the last to join the Kansas eCourt case management system.
“We are managing the Johnson County District Court go-live a little differently because the court uses a legacy case management system unique to the district,” O’Brien said.
All other district courts used standalone versions of the FullCourt case management system, while Johnson County District Court uses the Justice Information Management System, or JIMS.
Case management system key to eCourt plan
Installation of the centralized case management system is a key component in the Supreme Court's eCourt plan. It allows all district and appellate case data to reside on a single web-based platform, transforming the way the state court system serves the people of Kansas.
Goals of the Kansas eCourt case management system implementation are to:
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improve case processing in the district and appellate courts;
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enable work sharing between district courts, primarily among clerks and court services officers;
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enable web-based sharing of public information;
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increase efficiency of information delivery to district and appellate court judges;
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increase operational efficiency and effectiveness through automating certain activities and streamlining other operations;
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improve data quality and integrity;
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improve performance measurement, analysis, and reporting through enhanced information collection, storage, retrieval, and analysis;
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enable data sharing between various governmental entities based on information security requirements, contribution to the effective administration of justice, and need; and
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maintain and improve the ability to process electronic payments.