North Carolina’s court system announced two additional go-live dates for its eCourts expansion, bringing the total number of counties operating under the program to 38. The goal is to have all 100 counties included in the system by October 2025. eCourts aims to provide digital access to court records and filings, reducing the intake of paper into the court system and increasing convenience for citizens.
The rollout of eCourts will continue in phases, with specific implementation dates set for different regions. The switch from paper to digital court records is expected to be completed by 2025, with the North Carolina Business Court joining the system as well. Despite a federal lawsuit targeting the rollout of eCourts, plaintiffs have removed state and local court officials from the case, focusing instead on the eCourts vendor, Tyler Technologies, and certain county sheriffs.
The court system announced that taxpayers will save more than $6 million through a contract amendment that extended the agreement with Tyler Technologies until 2034. The reduced cost of the eCourts contract is attributed to implementation delays by the vendor. The extended contract includes fixed pricing to protect taxpayers against inflationary economic and technology environments.
The eCourts program, known as Enterprise Justice, is part of a historic transition from paper court records to electronic access and filings in North Carolina. Despite the legal challenges, state officials remain committed to successfully implementing eCourts to improve the efficiency and fairness of court operations.
Source
Photo credit www.carolinajournal.com
