In the INDIANA SUPREME COURT
In The Matter of the Adoption of
)
A Policy Statement on Trial Court )
Case Management Systems )
)
Cause No. 94S00-0205-MS-280 )
INDIANA SUPREME COURT POLICY STATEMENT
ON
TRIAL COURT CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
May 13, 2002.
1. The Indiana Supreme Court believes that it is in the best
interests of Indiana’s citizens, trial courts, court clerks, law enforcement officials, and lawyers
that all of Indiana’s courts maintain their records in a statewide computerized case
management system that connects courts across county lines and connects courts with local
and state entities that need and use court information. Among other things,
with such a system:
(a) Citizens and lawyers will be able to check the status of their
cases over the Internet.
(b) A court will be able to transmit electronically an order suspending (or
reinstating) a driver's license to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles immediately after making
the ruling.
(c) The state will be able to have an extremely accurate electronic registry
of all domestic violence protective orders issued by Indiana courts.
(d) A judge facing a criminal defendant in one county will be able
to determine electronically whether there are charges pending against that defendant in any
other county.
(e) Judges, court clerks, prosecutors, lawyers, and their staffs will be able to
process electronically countless transactions that now are performed by hand.
The Supreme Court acknowledges with appreciation that the Indiana General Assembly and the
Governor share this vision and have authorized a court filing fee with the
proceeds dedicated to the implementation of such a system. At the same
time, the Supreme Court recognizes that many counties have acquired their own case
management systems and may wish to continue using those systems for the foreseeable
future. In order to derive the important public safety and administrative benefits
of a statewide computerized case management system while recognizing the desire for local
flexibility to the extent consistent this vision, the Supreme Court hereby adopts the
following policy on trial court case management systems.
2. The Supreme Court designates the computerized case management system known as
Computer Associates International, Inc., Statewide Judicial Case Management Software System as the Indiana
statewide trial court case management system, subject to the execution of a definitive
agreement between Computer Associates International, Inc., and the Indiana Supreme Court Division of
State Court Administration (Division). The Division will provide and install that system
at the Division's expense in any county that so requests on the terms
described in paragraph 3 below. However, no county will be required to
install that system and may at its expense maintain its existing case management
system, upgrade its existing system, or acquire and install a different system so
long as it complies with the conditions described in paragraph 4 below.
3. Upon the request of a county’s courts, in cooperation with other
appropriate local officials, the Division will provide and install the statewide case management
system in the requesting county. The installation of the statewide case management
system will be subject to the terms and conditions of a memorandum of
understanding between the Division and the county covering the relative responsibilities of the
Division and the county for the installation of software and hardware and operation
of the system. In general, the Supreme Court contemplates that the Division
will be responsible for the cost of acquiring and installing the software in
each county, for initial training in each county, for statewide system servers, for
the communications network connecting the counties with each other and with state agencies,
and for the ongoing costs of statewide systems’ software licenses and maintenance.
In general, the Supreme Court contemplates that counties will be asked to bear
or at least share the cost of local servers, if any, desktop computers
and related equipment, data conversion, and local technological support. However, these allocations
of financial responsibility are general contemplations and likely will vary according to the
state fiscal resources available for this project and from county to county based
on local needs and conditions.
4. Any county that elects, at its expense, to upgrade substantially an
existing or acquire a new case management system other than the statewide case
management system may do so only with the written permission of the Division.
In general, the Supreme Court authorizes the Division to approve such an
upgrade or acquisition if the Division is satisfied that the system being upgraded
or acquired can be connected with the statewide case management system in a
way that permits the secure sharing of information in both directions to a
substantially similar extent as information is shared between counties within the statewide case
management system. A condition of approval will be that an appropriate interface
exists or will be provided at the requesting county's expense between the system
being upgraded or acquired and the statewide case management system.
5. To further the sharing of court information, counties that elect to
maintain their existing case management systems may be required by the Division to
develop interfaces between their systems and the statewide case management system.
6. This policy also applies to city and town courts and to
Marion County Small Claims Courts with such modifications as may be necessary given
the nature of those courts.
7. The Supreme Court reserves the right to direct that a court
or county install a case management system that has the communications and other
features contemplated by this policy. However, barring exceptional circumstances, it will not
direct any system be installed prior to July 1, 2006. No such
direction will be given without at least two years' advance notice.
The Clerk is directed to see that this policy statement is sent to
West Publishing and Lexis/Nexis for publication in the advance sheets and bound volumes
of reported decisions of this Court.
Done at Indianapolis, Indiana this 13th day of May, 2002.
_____________________________
Randall T. Shepard
Chief Justice of Indiana
All Justices concur.