Johnson County District Court to join statewide case management system

TOPEKA—November 5 marks the beginning of a new era for Johnson County District Court as well as the end of a multiyear project to move all state courts onto a single web-based platform, transforming the way state courts serve the people of Kansas.

When Johnson County District Court begins its workday November 5, it will be operating on the Kansas eCourt case management system. All other Kansas trial courts moved to this new system between 2019 and 2023 following a statewide rollout plan.

“We promised to transform how our courts serve Kansans, but we didn’t anticipate the major challenges we would overcome getting to this day,” Chief Justice Marla Luckert said.

A global pandemic required the court system to quickly expand its use of technology to deliver service. Then, following a cyberattack last year, the court system fortified its technology infrastructure to make it even safer and more secure and to accelerate recovery from catastrophic events.  

“I can say with absolute confidence our courts are safer, stronger, and better prepared to meet future challenges as we continue our journey to modernize how courts serve the people of Kansas,” Luckert said. 

New system benefits court users

Beyond consolidating case data on a single, web-based platform, the Supreme Court’s eCourt plan has involved standardizing processes. This assures court users a uniform experience from one jurisdiction to the next. It’s a welcome change for attorneys who practice in multiple jurisdictions.

Kevin Breer, an attorney who spent 25 years practicing law before becoming executive director of the Johnson County Bar Association, said one statewide system will benefit everyone practicing law in Johnson County.

“I was on the committee that helped create the Johnson County system, and my paralegal and I filed the very first electronic document, so I'm personally sad to see it go,” Breer said. “But consistency and familiarity are important, especially for lawyers in small firms handling their own filing. Having one system, like Missouri does, makes the practice of law so much less stressful.”

Online search will now be statewide

Effective November 5, the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal will offer users the ability to search case information and court documents statewide for free for the first time in the history of the Kansas court system.  

Consolidated case data and standardized processes provide a foundation for workshare. Sharing work across lines that define counties and judicial districts—without leaving your home court—was impossible before the new case management system was introduced in district courts across Kansas.

District court foresees opportunity

For the judges and court employees in Johnson County, the change means they will get the same system of support offered to other courts operating on the eCourt case management system. Support is through the Office of Judicial Administration, which is led by the judicial administrator, who reports directly to the Supreme Court.

Johnson County District Court’s current case management system, the Justice Information Management System, or JIMS, was developed by and is still supported by Johnson County government.

“Johnson County government has been good to our court, and we are grateful for the JIMS system that has supported our work for so long,” said Chief Judge Charles Droege. “As much as we appreciate all Johnson County government has done for us, we are ready to join other state courts on a common system so we can discover what doors of opportunity it opens for not just our court but courts statewide.”

Cutover plan developed over two years

Each week for the past two years, members of the project management team and other leaders from the Office of Judicial Administration have visited the Johnson County Courthouse in person.

During these visits, the project management team worked with representatives from the court and county offices to document integrations and information needs related to the court’s current case management system.

This working partnership between the Office of Judicial Administration, the court, and the county is to assure court users and justice system partners a smooth transition to the new case management system. 

Cutover schedule 

During the cutover to the Kansas eCourt case management system, Johnson County District Court will remain open and operating. However, the court clerk and self-help center will be closed Monday, November 4.
Court procedure changes are documented in and authorized by Administrative Order 2024-CC-083.

The Johnson County District Court go-live webpage explains what people can do to prepare for this change and what’s impacted between October 24 and November 5.

Advice to filers

If a filing is due between October 28 and November 5, the court recommends filing it early, even though the court will accept paper filings during part of this time. This recommendation is to ease pressure on the court.

All paper filings made between October 28 and November 1 must be manually entered into the case management system before November 5.

Cutover impact on other courts

There will be minimal impact to other state courts when data from Johnson County District Court is added to the Kansas eCourt case management system.

From 5 p.m. Friday, November 1, to 12:01 a.m. Monday, November 4, the Kansas eCourt case management system will be offline for district courts statewide. Courts will not accept electronic filings or electronic payments.

The Kansas District Court Public Access Portal will not be able to retrieve case data during this time. It will not be available for search or online payments.