New member joins eCourt Steering Committee

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court appointed a new member and reappointed others to the eCourt Steering Committee, which is overseeing implementation of a centralized case management system.

The system will allow all district and appellate case data to reside on a single web-based platform, transforming the way state courts serve the people of Kansas.

Joining the committee is Ellen House, district court administrator of the 18th Judicial District, which is composed of Sedgwick County.

Supreme Court Justice Dan Biles chairs the committee. He and other members were reappointed to one-year terms:

• Chief Judge Karen Arnold-Burger of the Kansas Court of Appeals;

• Christine Blake, clerk of the Finney County District Court in the 25th Judicial District;

• Nancy Dixon, judicial administrator, Office of Judicial Administration;

• Kelly O'Brien, director of information systems, Office of Judicial Administration;

• Katherine Oliver, clerk of the Riley County District Court in the 21st Judicial District;

• Chief Judge Michael Powers of the 8th Judicial District, composed of Dickinson, Geary, Marion, and Morris counties;

• Chief Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan of the 10th Judicial District, composed of Johnson County;

• Doug Shima, clerk of the appellate courts;

• Justice Caleb Stegall of the Kansas Supreme Court;

• Senior Judge David Stutzman; and

• District Magistrate Judge Debra Wright, serving in Mitchell County of the 12th Judicial District.

Installation of the centralized case management system is a key component in the Kansas Supreme Court's eCourt plan. It will complete the conversion from local, paper-driven processes to a statewide electronic one. The Supreme Court's vision for Kansas eCourt:

• More efficient, effective court operations and increased access to justice for the people of Kansas.

• Web-based access to court information.

• Standardized statewide case processing that enables workshare and provides a consistent user experience.

The conversion to the centralized case management system is expected to take three years. It will be launched in pilot courts in a phased roll-out beginning August 5. The judicial branch entered into an $11.5 million contract with Tyler Technologies of Plano, Texas, to customize and use its Odyssey Case Manager™ system.

The 2014 Legislature established the Electronic Filing and Case Management Fund with deposits from docket fees dedicated to finalizing the efiling project and implementing centralized case management under the Supreme Court's eCourt plan. By statute, each year through fiscal year 2021, the first $3.1 million received in docket fee revenue will be deposited into that fund. In fiscal year 2022 and later years, the first $1.5 million in docket fee revenue is directed into the fund for eCourt maintenance.