LIENS AND ABSTRACTS Parental eFiling Criminal Cases ADOPTION Notication JUDGE’S DOCKET EXPUNCTION a Civil ABSTRACTS LIENS AND Brands Filing Minutes Case BOND FORFEITURE COURT Dockets CIVIL PROCESS DOCKET Records Management Grand Jury Petit Jury Writs JURY SELECTION VITAL STATISTICS Recording Fees FAMILY LAW CITATION OFFICIAL SEALING Case Processing Child Support JUVENILE LAW BONDS RECORDS Foreign Judgements BIRTH AND DEATH DEED RECORDS Seals LITIGATION REQUESTS CERTIFICATES RECORDS REGISTRY OF INMATE Dissolution of THE COURT PROBATE Capias Marriage FEES CRIMINAL PROCESS Wednesday, September 18, 2019 Bonds Warrants Marriage Licenses PASSPORTS 10 a.m.–Noon ELECTIONS Writs of Execution JURY WHEEL Name Change 2019 Mr. Casey Kennedy County and District Director of Information Services Office of Court Administration Clerks’ Association of Texas Fall Education Conference With the final deadline looming for all counties not currently under mandatory criminal eFiling, Mr. Kennedy will provide an update of what the Judicial Sept. 16-18, 2019 Committee on Information Technology (JCIT) and Sheraton, Georgetown the eFiling vendor are doing to ensure a smooth transition. Topics will include eFiling rules, JCIT standards and standardized process for expunging records. 2019 CDCAT Fall Conference Binder Graphics 3.indd 6 8/26/19 2:09 PM
Mr. Casey Kennedy, Director for Information Services, Office of Court Administration Casey Kennedy joined the Office of Court Administration (OCA) as the director of information services in 2010. His team provides direct IT support for the Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, the 14 intermediate appellate courts and several judicial branch state agencies. Kennedy also manages the statewide IT projects for the electronic filing of court documents (eFile Texas) and the electronic access of court records (Re:SearchTX). Kennedy is also the lead OCA staff for the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT). The committee is appointed by the Texas Supreme Court and makes recommendations and sets standards for court technology in Texas. Kennedy is currently the president of the Court Information Technology Officer Consortium, a national organization of Court IT professionals. He holds a bachelor’s in computer science from The University of Texas at Austin.
Criminal eFiling Update Casey Kennedy – Director, Information Services Office of Court Administration OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
What I’ll Talk About • Where are we now? • JCIT Standards • Expunctions and Non-Disclosures BONUS MATERIAL FOR MAKING IT TO THE END OF THE CONFERENCE • Juvenile Cases • Re:SearchTX relationship to criminal eFiling • eFiling 2.0 OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Have a Question? • Ask it! • If you think of one later, email me! casey.kennedy@txcourts.gov OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Where are we now? The Court of Criminal Appeals mandated criminal eFiling with the same rollout cadence as Civil. Of the 254 counties: • 119 are live and mandatory • 109 are live but aren’t mandatory until 1/1/20 • 28 are working to be live in time for the mandate on 1/1/20 OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
The Mandate • eFiling required from all attorneys on subsequent filings in a case. • Charging instruments aren’t required but are definitely allowed. • If your DA/CA is already sending things electronically – DON’T BREAK IT! Fill out a form instead! • If you wish to use eFileTexas for criminal case initiation and are integrated with eFile, you’re CMS integration needs to adjust to accommodate the additional fields. • Pro Se filers, Judges, are not required to eFile but highly encouraged OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
What can be filed? • EVERYTHING – unless: • Being presented in camera to the court • Anything sealed • Anything restricted by law or court order • Formatting controlled by Rule 2.2 (Statewide Criminal Rules) • Searchable PDF (OCR if scanned) • 8.5 x 11 • Not locked or other goofy security or packaging • Complies with JCIT Tech Standards OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
JCIT Technology Standards • Updated annually • Has the eFiling codes, additional service available, what registered users can see in re:SearchTX • Prescribes reasons why clerks can return for correction OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
JCIT Technology Standards • If you see something that needs to change, email me! • Include: • What you want to change • Cite to statute that allows for that fee (if you’re adding an additiontal service) • Explanation on why the filing type or case type can’t be covered by one of the “catch alls” • The standards are the maximum set – if you don’t want to make a code available to your filers, feel free to turn it off. • Don’t be offended if change doesn’t happen quickly. • Remember court only codes are available! OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Expunctions and Non-Disclosures Today – once the order granting an expunction/non-disclosure – it gets sent to various groups (like DPS) Like the civil side, there are three ways to do this: 1. eFile Admin Tool 2. Email the order granting (NOT the notice of a hearing) to ocaexpunctions@txcourts.gov 3. Send it snail mail: OCA Legal Division 205 W. 14 th Street, Suite 600 Austin, TX 78701 OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Expunctions and Non-Disclosures • Fastest way is in eFile. • If emailed or snail mailed, OCA will purge it within 30 days of receipt (as required by the notice) • Purging removes the ability for people to eFile into that case • Purging removes the ability for all to see the case or its documents on re:SearchTX • Be sure you purge your systems too! • Please don’t fax it in, it is 2019 OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
BONUS MATERIAL OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Juvenile Cases • These are civil cases typically heard by criminal courts. • Originally left out of the civil mandate because they were typically stored in the criminal side of CMS. • Supreme Court has asked JCIT to look at Juvenile Cases and what a mandate would look like. • First step is to add codes to the standards that would allow Juvenile to be permissive. OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Juvenile Cases • DRAFT that Standards Committee considering, any changes? OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Juvenile Cases • Once codes are recommended and approved by the high courts, it’ll be permissive to all courts (all that has to be done is to configure the code) • After a soak, JCIT will make adjustments, possibly recommend mandatory to the Supreme Court along with timelines. OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Re:SearchTX and Criminal Filings • Currently NO criminal cases are on re:SearchTX for registered user consumption. • CCA asked JCIT to explore the possibility of putting criminal filings on re:SearchTX • JCIT instantiated a subcommittee made up of attorneys (both prosecuting and defense), clerks, judges, and SRL advocates to discuss OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Re:SearchTX and Criminal Filings • Subcommittee is actively meeting and expect to present recommendations at a future JCIT meeting. • If JCIT were to adopt the recommendations, they’d be sent along to the Court of Criminal Appeals • From there, the CCA can decide to allow criminal eFilings into re:SearchTX • Keep “Court Speed” in mind! OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
EFileTexas 2.0 • OCA’s eFiling contract (which comprises eFileTexas, re:SearchTX, Guide and File, and redaction) ends on 8/31/2021. • The original contract signed in 2012 is fully extended and no more extensions are available. • These pieces must go through the procurement process and the State of Texas Major Information Resources Project process. OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
EFileTexas 2.0 • OCA has engaged a third-party to provide procurement assistance. They are in the process of gathering requirements from all stakeholder groups. • Goal is to have a contract in place in Sept/Oct of 2020. • The remaining time would be to transition to the new system in the event the new eFiling vendor is not Tyler. OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
Questions? Casey Kennedy casey.kennedy@txcourts.gov 512.463.1603 OFFICE of COURT ADMINISTRATION
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