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California Judicial Council Tech Committee's Post-Debacle Tech Plan

By George Khoury, Esq. on December 04, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

There was a time when the California Judicial Council thought it was a good idea to unify the entire California court system's computers and make sure every court was operating on the same platform.

And apparently, the plan that got put in place some years ago has failed. Fortunately, the council's technology committee seems to have recognized where it should be focusing and has announced a new technology and strategic development plan. The plan should not only increase public access, but also technological cooperation among the courts.

Better Goals, Clearer Priorities

The first goal that the new plan sets out is increasing access to the courts for the public. The published information call the first goal "Promote the Digital Court." This likely will involve ensuring local courts have the resources they need to develop the online tools that are needed for both the front and back end of each court, independently. Basically, the idea is that by enabling each court to implement their own technological solutions that meet the certain standards for public access, the public, attorneys, media, and pretty-much everyone will benefit.

The report lists the first objective of the new tech plan is to "Provide consistent, convenient, and secure remote digital access to court information and services for court users and practitioners." Which, every lawyer that ever practiced in the California state courts surely knows, isn't something you can always rely on.

Independent and Together

In addition to allowing the courts to operate independently technologically, the council's committee recognizes that many courts wanting to utilize the same software or systems may be able to leverage more purchasing power and thus cost-savings for the judiciary.

Additionally, the ability for different courts to be able to share resources and information could also result in cost-savings and other benefits.

Cybersecurity Included

The technology committee explained as part of its goal to improve digital infrastructure, that cybersecurity and privacy must be maintained, and specifically that data should be recoverable in the event of a disaster.

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