COURT TECHNOLOGY BULLETIN Cutting edge information about technology and the court community. Editor: Tom Carlson (tcarlson@ncsc.dni.us) This publication is available in other formats at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/ ================================ LOUISIANA COURTS ISSUE RFP Posted by Jim McMillan on March 21, 2007 at 6:33 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=247 ================================ The Louisiana Courts have issued the following notice: The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals for procurement of a Microsoft Sequel Server integrated adult court case management system entitled “The Louisiana Court Connection” to be administered by the Louisiana Supreme Court Judicial Administrator’s Office CMIS Division. The intent of the Louisiana Court Connection is to provide Louisiana city courts with an effective means of managing civil, traffic, criminal, probation (special sentencing), appeals, and court services data and provide financial tracking of court furnished fines and fees, case scheduling, document indexing and preservation, standard form and report generation, and ad-hoc query functional capabilities. Software development for the Louisiana Court Connection will be acquired through competitive contract negotiations on a fixed fee basis. The complete RFP is posted on the Court’s website (www.lasc.org (www.lasc.org)). Paper copies of the RFP can be obtained by contacting: Carmelitte Venturella Louisiana Supreme Court Office of the Judicial Administrator CMIS Division 400 Royal Street, Suite 1190 New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-8101 (504) 310-2571 FAX (504) 310-2570 Email: cventurella@lajao.org ================================ THE VALUE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT... Posted by Jim Harris on March 15, 2007 at 9:07 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=246 ================================ TechRepublic (http://www.techrepublic.com) recently published an article titled Project management 101--the case for project management (http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6166674.html?tag=nl.e106) by Tom Mochal. There are many books and articles on the subject of making a case for project management, but this is a brief article that gets right to the point. Every project (especially IT projects) will have risks to manage and unexpected problems to deal with. You can deal with these issues in a haphazard or reactive mode or you can deal with them in a proactive and controlled manner. I’m betting the latter is what most of us would want. ================================ FREE PUBLIC WI-FI SCAM ARTICLE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 27, 2007 at 1:09 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=245 ================================ During my travels in recent weeks I have seen the "Free Public Wi-Fi" scam show up at four different airports when looking for a wireless Internet connection. I have seen it in Chicago, Washington Dulles, and both Tampa and Richmond where there are actually free connections available. If you are interested, here (http://tinyurl.com/25j7no) is an excellent ComputerWorld (http://www.computerworld.com/index.jsp) article about the problem. ================================ INNOVATIONS IN JUSTICE: INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 27, 2007 at 12:19 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=244 ================================ SEARCH Group (http://www.search.org/) has announced the Innovations in Justice: Information Sharing Strategies and Best Practices Conferences (http://www.search.org/conferences/2006reginfosharing/) at the Hyatt Regency-Minneapolis, in Minnesota, March 27-29, 2007 and later; June 4-6, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency-Jacksonville Riverfront, Jacksonville, FL. Domingo S. Herraiz (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/about/dirnom.html), Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/index.html), Office of Justice Programs (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/), U.S. Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov/index.html) is keynote speaker on Day 1 of the conference in Minneapolis. ================================ GLOBAL JUSTICE REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE DRAFT AVAILABLE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 23, 2007 at 3:09 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=243 ================================ The GISWG Executive Architecture Committee (EAC) announced that the Global Justice Reference Architecture (JRA) Specification Working Draft Version 1.4 is now available on U.S. OJP's Technology and Global Web Site. Each JRA Draft Specification is open for a two week review timeframe, and all comments will be considered for the next pending release. There is a quick link to the left of the U.S. DOJ's Global web site (http://it.ojp.gov/), under "Key Topics," and an established link at http://it.ojp.gov/globaljra (http://it.ojp.gov/globaljra). ================================ JUSTICE REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE PRESENTATION AVAILABLE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 22, 2007 at 10:15 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=242 ================================ Recently our own Scott Fairholm made a presentation on the Justice Reference Architecture that was captured on video and is available online courtesy of the IJIS Institute (http://www.ijis.org/). The publications page that contains this and other presentations can be accessed directly by clicking here. (http://www.ijis.org/traction/read?proj=Public&type=single&rec=16&side=1) ================================ US BANKRUPTCY COURTS PROTECT PRIVACY Posted by Jim McMillan on February 6, 2007 at 2:21 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=241 ================================ A December, 2006 article in the US Federal Courts (http://www.uscourts.gov/) newsletter "The Third Branch" (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index.html) described the Bankruptcy Courts response to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA). The article states that "Although the federal courts already have in place a policy on privacy and public access to electronic case files (http://www.privacy.uscourts.gov/b4amend.htm (http://www.privacy.uscourts.gov/b4amend.htm)), Section 315 of the Act specifically required that the Director of the Administrative Office (AO) establish procedures for safeguarding the confidentiality of the required tax information." The article further states that "(u)nder the guidance issued by the AO, no tax information filed with the bankruptcy court or otherwise provided by the debtor will be available to the public on the Internet, on the Judiciary’s electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from records, or through the courts’ Case Management/Electronic Case Files system. For non-court users of any of these systems or networks, a docket report will indicate only that tax information has been filed." ================================ MASSCOURTS LITE ANNOUNCED Posted by Jim McMillan on February 6, 2007 at 2:13 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=240 ================================ On February 6, 2007 a Massachusetts Court System press release (http://www.mass.gov/courts/press/pr020607.html) stated that "Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan today announced that the Trial Court has completed its rollout of MassCOURTS Lite to 63 divisions of the District and Boston Municipal Court Departments. MassCOURTS is the Trial Court’s web-based, electronic case management system." ================================ E-COURTS 2006 NOTES - DAY ONE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 1, 2007 at 2:55 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=239 ================================ Roger Winters has completed the first day of his extensive notes (http://ctl.ncsc.dni.us/presentations/eCourts2006NotesRLWPart1.pdf) on the E-Courts 2006 Conference (http://www.e-courts.org) held this past December in Las Vegas, Nevada. ================================ NEVADA ANNOUNCES E-FILING RULES Posted by Jim McMillan on February 1, 2007 at 2:52 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=238 ================================ Our good friend Chuck Short, Court Executive Officer for the Eighth Judicial District in Clark County, Nevada (http://www.co.clark.nv.us/ClarkCountyCourts/index.html) passed along their recently adopted rules for electronic filing. Please click on the link below to download a PDF version of the rules. Attachments: - Nevada Electronic Filing Rules - December, 2006 (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/nevada-efiling-rules2007.pdf Size: 46015 bytes) ================================ OHIO SUPREME COURT GOES DIGITAL Posted by Jim McMillan on February 1, 2007 at 2:33 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=237 ================================ In a press release the Ohio Supreme Court announced (http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Press_Releases/eNews/digitizedDocs.asp) their digital document program began operation in December, 2006. They wrote: "Digital images of case documents filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio are now available on the Court's Web site, through the Clerk of Court's online case docket search." "The feature allows quick and easy access to anyone interested in case filings before the Supreme Court of Ohio. For more than 200 years there was one way to read a merit brief or other document in a case file at the Supreme Court – Physically visit the Clerk's Office and look in the file." The website can be viewed at: http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/Clerk_of_Court/ (http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/Clerk_of_Court/) ================================ ARE YOU PREPARED FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CHANGES? Posted by Jim Harris on January 21, 2007 at 10:18 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=236 ================================ ARE YOU PREPARED FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CHANGES? Recent communications from our friend Tom Hoffmann (Systems Manager at the Orange County, Florida Clerk of Courts) reminded us of the possible impact of Daylight Savings Time changes on IT systems. In August of 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005). This Act extends Daylight Savings Time by four weeks beginning in 2007, with the intended benefit being reduced energy consumption. DST will now begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. This change could affect computers and applications that incorporate date and time processing functions or time stamps. Most applications and databases rely on the operating system clock for date and time functions. There is likely a patch for most operating systems that you’ve hopefully already applied. There is apparently also a problem with Java applications running under an older runtime environment (JRE). Most of our Court IT friends have probably already assessed the impact on their systems. For those who haven’t, now would be a good time. Many vendors have made available updates and/or recommended approaches to dealing with the change. Several links are provided below for articles on the subject and to pages from a few of the larger systems providers, but you should contact your system and application vendors for additional information. Articles: - Computerworld (http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,103490,00.html) - edgeblog (http://www.edgeblog.net/2007/daylight-saving-time-the-year-2007-problem/) - USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-08-07-daylight-saving_x.htm) - Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_around_the_world#From_2007) Vendor Links: - IBM (http://www.ibm.com/support/alerts/daylightsavingstimealert.html) - Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/timezone/dst2007.mspx) - Oracle (http://blogs.oracle.com/schan/2006/11/29) - Sun Microsystems (http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Intl/USDST/) ================================ COURTS REPORT ON TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS Posted by Jim McMillan on January 11, 2007 at 1:57 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=235 ================================ Thanks to our friends in our Customer Service Desk (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_KIS/index.html) here at the NCSC we received notes about two court automation projects. First, the Delaware Judiciary (http://courts.delaware.gov) reported that they have successfully completed the first phase of the implementation of their new case management system (http://tinyurl.com/ykvjuf). And second, the Sioux City Journal (http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/) reports on an interview of the Iowa's Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, regarding their efforts to go paperless (http://tinyurl.com/yj9th9). The Iowa Judicial Branch (http://www.judicial.state.ia.us/) also posted proposed Rules for Electronic Filing (http://www.judicial.state.ia.us/Supreme_Court/Orders/index.asp) in January, 2007. ================================ NATIONAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE MODEL (NIEM) EXECUTIVE BRIEFING Posted by Jim McMillan on January 8, 2007 at 10:00 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=234 ================================ We received the following announcement regarding an upcoming meeting: The NIEM Program Management Office is hosting a NIEM Executive Session on January 23, 2007, to brief CIO's, Chief Architects, Program Managers and their representatives from the Federal Government as well as other interested parties. Topics to be covered will include the definition of NIEM, where NIEM is today, its business value, a high level overview of its architecture and enterprise architecture context, and how to become involved or get started. NIEM, the National Information Exchange Model, is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice. NIEM is focused on (i) developing reusable data components, (ii) proving support for packaging these components into business context to make reusable exchange specifications, (iii) doing so across domains and communities of interest, and (iv) providing standards, governance, methods, tools, training and technical assistance to drive adoption, use, and value creation. The vision for NIEM is to be the standard, by choice, for cross-government information exchange. TIME & DATE: January 23, 2007, 9AM - Noon PLACE: American Association for Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005. AAAS is located on 12th Street, NW, with entrances at H Street and New York Ave. The nearest metro stop is Metro Center. To download a detailed map of the area, please follow this link: http://www.aaas.org/dcwest.pdf (http://www.aaas.org/dcwest.pdf) REGISTRATION: Please send response to tpate@iir.com if you plan to attend. There is no cost to attend but space is limited. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.NIEM.gov/ (http://www.NIEM.gov/) ================================ CTC 10 CALL FOR PAPERS Posted by Jim McMillan on January 4, 2007 at 12:44 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=233 ================================ The National Center for State Courts is pleased to announce the open Call for Papers for the 10th Court Technology Conference to be held in Tampa, Florida from October 2-4, 2007. Proposals will be accepted online via the CTC 10 website (http://www.ctc10.org) through January 26, 2007. A complete copy of the proposal letter is available for download from the link below. Attachments: - CTC 10 Call for Papers Announcement Details (pdf) (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/CTC10CallForPapers.1.pdf Size: 13956 bytes) ================================ PRIVACY AND PUBLIC ACCESS TO COURT RECORDS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD Posted by Jim McMillan on December 19, 2006 at 9:59 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=229 ================================ According to their release "(o)n Thursday and Friday, March 22nd and 23rd, 2007, with the assistance of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (http://www.uscourts.gov/), the Center for Legal and Court Technology (formerly the Courtroom 21 Project) (http://www.legaltechcenter.net/) will host the Fifth Conference on Privacy and Public Access to Court Records (http://www.legaltechcenter.net/training/privacy.html) in Williamsburg, Virginia." The release invites interested parties to attend "the Conference, which will bring together policy makers from the state and federal courts, judges, law professors, access and privacy advocates, and others involved in efforts to develop policies on public access to court records." ================================ IN MEMORY OF JOHN DOKTOR Posted by Jim McMillan on December 19, 2006 at 9:21 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=228 ================================ We are pleased to announce that the attendees at the recent E-Courts Conference (http://www.e-courts.org) donated $743 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (http://www.leukemia.org/) in memory of John Doktor. John was director of the Integrated Justice System project (http://www.maricopa.gov/icjis/technology.aspx) in Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona and a long time contributor in advancing court technology. He will be missed. ================================ E-COURTS PRESENTATIONS NOW ONLINE Posted by Jim McMillan on December 18, 2006 at 11:26 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=227 ================================ Over 600 persons attended the most successful E-Courts Conference (http://www.e-courts.org) to date in Las Vegas last week. The presentations that we have received to date are posted at the E-Courts 2006 Presentations (http://ctl.ncsc.dni.us/presentations/2006presentations.htm) web page. ================================ US FEDERAL COURTS REPORT ON TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on December 8, 2006 at 2:04 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=226 ================================ The November issue of The Third Branch (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index.html) newsletter published by the US Federal Courts (http://www.uscourts.gov/) is chock full of articles regarding technology use in their system. Articles include: - Federal Courts Look to Contain Costs in Lean Times (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/11-06/federalcourts/index.html) discusses the use and impact of the CM/ECF system - Payment of Court Fees Via the Internet Grows in Popularity (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/11-06/payment/index.html) reports on the growing use of credit card payment by attorneys. - Electronically Stored InformationTarget of New Rules (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/11-06/electronically/index.html) talks about new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures. - Robust IT Program Benefits Courts and Public: An Interview with Judge Thomas Vanaskie (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/11-06/robust/index.html) who is chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Information Technology and a speaker at the E-Courts 2006 conference. ================================ WEST VIRGINIA COURTS START CMS PROJECT Posted by Jim McMillan on December 7, 2006 at 9:52 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=225 ================================ An article (http://www.wvrecord.com/arguments/argumentsview.asp?c=187050) in the West Virginia Record (http://www.wvrecord.com/) newspaper highlights the new court case management system project for the West Virginia Courts (http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca/default.htm). The Unified Judicial Application will be rolled out over a four year period and will use the state's existing T-1 network as its backbone. ================================ OHIO SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCES IMAGING AND RSS TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on December 4, 2006 at 10:01 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=224 ================================ The Supreme Court of Ohio (http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/default_highres.asp) announced on November 30, 2006 (http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Press_Releases/2006/digitizedDocs_113006.asp) that as of December 1st, all case documents filed on and after that date will be available online soon after filing. In addition, the Court also announced a new Case Activity Notification Service (http://www.supremecourtofohio.gov/rss/subscription/) using RSS technology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS). The service will make it easier for interested parties to track developments in cases pending before the Supreme Court. ================================ US FEDERAL COURT E-FILING RULES Posted by Jim McMillan on November 27, 2006 at 4:19 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=223 ================================ Attorney Howard J. Bashman (http://www.law.com/jsp/bashmanArchive.jsp), in his regular column for Law.com (http://www.law.com/), discusses new rules for unpublished citations and appellate court E-filing in his article "What Do the Federal Appellate Procedure Rule Changes Mean for You? (http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1164189923012)" ================================ OHIO COURTS TECHNOLOGY SURVEY RELEASED Posted by Jim McMillan on November 7, 2006 at 9:41 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=222 ================================ The Supreme Court of Ohio (http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/) has recently released a summary of their latest technology survey (http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Press_Releases/2006/techSurvey_103106.asp). Highlights include finding that nearly all courts have Internet access and approximately half have some kind of document imaging technology installed. ================================ DRUG COURT ONLINE TRAINING EVENT Posted by Jim McMillan on October 27, 2006 at 3:26 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=221 ================================ "Drug Courts Reexamined (http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/spotlight.html?id=159&preview=1/)," is a free online event November 13, 2006 2:00–4:00 pm (eastern time) Featuring: - Michael Rempel, Research Director at the Center for Court Innovation. - Peter F. Luongo, Ph.D., Director of the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. - Judge Terry D. Terrell, First Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. - Moderated by Thomas J. Charron, Executive Director of the National District Attorneys Association. The event is hosted by: Harvard University's Government Innovators Network (http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/), the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Department of Justice (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/), and the online housing resource KnowledgePlex (http://www.knowledgeplex.org/). ================================ US SENTENCING COMISSION ELECTRONIC REPORTING Posted by Jim McMillan on October 10, 2006 at 4:47 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=220 ================================ In its Fall 2006 Guidelines Newsletter (http://www.ussc.gov/NEWSLETT/fall2006.pdf) the US Federal Sentencing Commission (http://www.ussc.gov/) notes that 70 Federal District Courts are "submitting their case files electronically." The case files include "the five required documents (i.e., judgment and commitment order, statement of reasons form, any plea agreement, the charging document, and the presentence report)" using PDF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF) format. (Author's note: Now if we can just get them to use the GJXDM. For more information about XML-based charge and sentencing reporting see our GJXDM web page (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/gjxdm/) ) ================================ A GREAT DOMESTIC COURT JUDGE'S WEBSITE IN OHIO Posted by Jim McMillan on September 27, 2006 at 9:00 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=219 ================================ We have recently become aware of Judge Mike Voris' web site for the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Division, in Clermont County, Batavia, Ohio: http://www.domesticcourt.org/ (http://www.domesticcourt.org/) He features a lot of court forms, a streaming video interview as well as other information to help litigants navigate their way through the judicial system. Well done! ================================ OHIO SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCES EFFORT TO BUILD STATEWIDE NETWORK CONNECTING COURTS Posted by Jim McMillan on September 21, 2006 at 9:36 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=218 ================================ State of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer recently announced in his State of the Judiciary Address (http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Communications_Office/Press_Releases/2006/SOJ_091406.asp) that a plan to build a statewide network connecting courts throughout the state to share information with each other and law enforcement partners is moving forward. ================================ LINKS TO SUPREME COURTS AROUND THE WORLD Posted by Jim McMillan on September 21, 2006 at 9:30 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=217 ================================ Our good friend Judge Stein Schjolberg from Norway has build a very handy new website, Global Courts (http://www.globalcourts.com/), that provides links to national Supreme Court decisions (http://www.globalcourts.com/mini-oversikt.html) from around the world. ================================ USING SEARCH TO COUNT Posted by Jim McMillan on September 15, 2006 at 9:34 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=216 ================================ Or, in other words, not all information has to be captured and stored in a database to be counted. Sometimes working with an information technology professional is like working with a craftsman who knows how to use only one tool. Whether it's a nail or a screw, they want to use their hammer. They like their hammer and are very proficient in using it. But you protest. It is a screw you say. But the hammer will work faster they respond. And so it goes. Everyone that uses the Internet knows about Google and other search engine websites. One can enter a set of terms and they will search billions of pages on the Internet and in couple of seconds respond with X number of responses. And so that is the key idea. If documents can be text searched, then the searching engines can respond with a count. Therefore, if courts store their own documents in electronic format, search engine software can be used to identify and create counts to answer questions from policy makers and the press. For example, say somebody would like to know how many drug test reports were submitted last year by Lab A versus Lab B. If the court receives the test results as an electronic document, is simple search such as "Drug Test Results" (or whatever the title of the document is) + "Lab A" + "??/??/2006" (the ?? are wildcards in some searches) would get the count for Lab A. Now isn't that better than hand counting or else waiting for weeks for the IT staff to add a "Lab" field to the database? I'm sure that you can come up with additional examples. I have used several desktop search engines over the years and they are generally work well. Long ago I used the ZyIndex (http://www.zylab.com/) program that has been used to index several legal databases. More recently I have tried Google Desktop (http://desktop.google.com/about.html), Microsoft Windows Desktop Search (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/desktopsearch/default.mspx), and currently use Copernic (http://www.copernic.com/en/products/desktop-search/) to search files and e-mail messages on my computer. There are many options available, but the point of this note is that there is more than one approach for solving your information counting problems. ================================ SAVING A TROUBLED PROJECT Posted by Jim McMillan on September 5, 2006 at 8:16 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=215 ================================ Computerworld (http://www.computerworld.com/) magazine posted an excellent article regarding techniques that can be applied to salvage a troubled information technology project (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9002910). ================================ XML DOCUMENTS - WHY SHOULD I CARE? Posted by Jim McMillan on August 22, 2006 at 2:37 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=214 ================================ I can summarize the answer to the above titled question in one word - control. For as long as court case management systems have existed, there has been a continual struggle between the need for more data to be added and the time it takes for a programmer and database administrator to add it to the system. XML ( http://www.webopaedia.com/TERM/X/XML.html) documents can give court staff an additional tool to add and control their own data collection instruments, just like they could in the "paper world." Now there are currently significant issues as to whether the court case management system being used in a particular court can store or link to documents. But once that is in place, and there is an upgrade to new XML-enabled databases, court staff will be able to use documents as an integral part of their system. Mr. Ronald Bourret ( http://www.rpbourret.com/) has written a general tutorial about XML and Databases (http://www.rpbourret.com/xml/XMLAndDatabases.htm) that may be of help in explaining this concept further. In addition, there are a few InfoWorld (http://www.infoworld.com/) articles on Oracle (http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/04/23/17FExml_1.html), Microsoft SQL Server (http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/01/16/73517_03FEsql_1.html), and IBM DB2 (http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/08/14/33FEdb2viper_1.html) databases that, while rather technical, can provide addition illumination of the new database capabilities and hence, new thinking that needs to be applied to our situation in the courts. Next time - Using Search to Count ================================ SELF-DOCKETING SMART DOCUMENTS Posted by Jim McMillan on August 16, 2006 at 10:30 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=213 ================================ I've been spending time in Orlando, Florida recently and I had the privilege of meeting with Ms. Carolyn Weber who is their E-filing (ECF) project manager. Carolyn has a great example of smart documents on the Orange County Clerk of Court ECF project website (http://www.myorangeclerk.com/ECF/Electronic_filing.shtml). Their system currently supports three documents, the Certificate of Service, Summons, and most important the Case Initiation Worksheet, that can be downloaded, completed and when submitted to the E-filing system, saves a considerable amount of time in completing the filing. If you have a chance, I recommend downloading the Case Initiation Worksheet and then right-click on the "gray boxes" to see how they have coded the field names for later "parsing ( http://pcwebopaedia.com/TERM/p/parse.html)" into their case management system. I think that this is a good example of progressive thinking because it advances toward the goal of single source data capture which also makes it more accurate. Next week - XML in word processing and why should you care? ================================ CLARK COUNTY REGIONAL JUSTICE CENTER ADDS WIFI ACCESS Posted by Jim McMillan on August 10, 2006 at 10:55 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=212 ================================ A press release from Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas) (http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/Public_communications/news_releases/060622_WiFi.htm) shares information regarding their new wireless network system. ================================ AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Posted by Jim Harris on August 9, 2006 at 4:51 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=211 ================================ I just finished reading the September 2006 digital edition of "Dr. Dobb's Journal". I was intrigued by Scott Ambler's article "Survey Says: Agile Works in Practice" (http://www.ddj.com/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=TC4GQDTDFZTGGQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=191800169). We haven't seen many court IT organizations adopting agile development methodologies, but such methods and techniques are certainly making headway in other industries. Of particular interest are the survey results presented in Scott's article showing increased productivity, system quality and stakeholder satisfaction in projects using agile approaches. ================================ COURT GENERATED DOCUMENTS Posted by Jim McMillan on August 9, 2006 at 11:54 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=210 ================================ Now that everyone uses either word processing software or has the case management system create standard documents electronically, why are most courts only storing the data on paper in the paper file? In my experience there is continually an issue in court case management systems as to new data fields that must be added to either track new things for statistical information or to clarify information such as judgments, sentencing, or orders. So since electronic storage is so very cheap today, why aren't all court electronic generated documents being automatically saved in the court's system? Is there an issue as to whether the electronic copy is the original or true copy? If so, then the documents should be printed to PDF (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PDF.html). Is there an issue that either a conforming "file stamp" or judge's signature is not affixed to the document? Then a digital signature (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/digital_signature.html) and file stamp can be used. Is there an issue regarding control? If so then digital rights management (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=165) and encryption should be examined as a possible solution. The point of this is that I believe a case management system should be focused on what its name says, managing cases. Documents can then be appropriately used, searched, and hopefully tagged to supplement the case management process and in the near future be applied for judicial research and use. Next time, I'll write about self-docketing documents. ================================ HOW SMART CAN WE MAKE THE DOCUMENTS? Posted by Jim McMillan on August 3, 2006 at 11:37 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=209 ================================ I have written about this before, but lately, after working with several case management systems I have become more and more convinced that court technologists are still missing the point that the DATA IS IN THE DOCUMENT. Almost everything that a court does either involves receiving a document or producing a document. The smarter that we make documents, by tagging (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/t/tag.html) the information via templates and forms, the less data entry is needed because either the document becomes the database or the data is automatically parsed and entered into the court's database. On the input side, courts have done an excellent job of posting their forms in editable formats and PDF (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/PDF.html). But very few have "connected the dots" by using these forms as data sources in their E-filing projects. I find that it is particularly interesting that progress in this area is being made in the integrated justice projects with GJXDM (http://www.it.ojp.gov/jxdm/) technology rather than in civil case E-filing. For example, at CTC8, Orange County, Florida Integrated Justice System project (http://www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/countyadmin/publicsafety/icjis/default.htm) showed their automated criminal complaint systems and at the upcoming E-Courts Conference (http://www.e-courts.org/) this December, the Maricopa County, Arizona Integrated Justice System (http://www.maricopa.gov/icjis/technology.aspx) will be showing their electronic warrant system. Further, most court automation seem to still treat court generated documents as reports or as separate standalone systems. When a court creates a document using word processing software, it should not simply be printed on paper. It should also be stored electronically and linked to the case management system. There are many ways that this can be done and I'll write about a few of them next week. ================================ ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA ALLOWS JURORS TO REQUEST DELAY ONLINE Posted by Jim McMillan on July 28, 2006 at 10:44 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=208 ================================ In the NCSC's Jur-E Bulletin, July Edition (http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/KIS_JurInnJurE07-21-06.pdf) the editors note that the Orange County, California Superior Court (http://www.occourts.org/) has an excellent Jury Services website (http://www.occourts.org/home/jury/juryserv.asp). They also had a link to an article in the Orange County (CA) Register (http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1214355.php) newspaper about the site. ================================ PHILADELPHIA COURTROOM WEBSITE Posted by Jim McMillan on July 28, 2006 at 10:32 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=207 ================================ For those of you looking for ideas about how to present the capabilities of your own "Hi-Tech" Courtroom, you might want to check out the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First Judicial District (http://courts.phila.gov/index.html) website on Courtroom 625 (http://courts.phila.gov/courtroom625.html). ================================ SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on July 10, 2006 at 4:36 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=206 ================================ Last fall Larry Webster of the NCSC Court Consulting Services Division (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Consult/index.htm) and I were working on a project for the Iowa Judicial Branch (http://www.judicial.state.ia.us/). During our visit we went to see the renovation of the Iowa State Capitol (http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Pubinfo/Tour/) building and saw this simple but effective slide tray to return the plastic bowls used to run small items through the x-ray scanning machine. Sometimes simple technology is the best technology. Click on the link below to see a picture of the system. Attachments: - Iowa State Capitol Slide Tray System (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/Photo_093005_002.jpg Size: 65965 bytes) ================================ A LAWYER'S VIEW OF APPELLATE TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on July 6, 2006 at 10:11 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=205 ================================ Mr. Howard Bashman of Law.com (http://www.law.com/) shares his experiences on video and teleconferencing in his article, Commentary: Predicting Technology's Impact on Appellate Oral Argument (http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1151658323825). He also muses about the use of collaboration software in Appellate Court proceedings. ================================ TRINIDAD & TOBAGO COURTS USE SMARTSTRIP Posted by Jim McMillan on June 27, 2006 at 12:05 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=133 ================================ Last year I had the honor of visiting the courts in country of Trinidad and Tobago. During my visit we toured the Family Court and found them using a solution for physical file labeling that has been a problem to courts for many years. While many courts have or are converting to electronic document management, the reality is that most record systems are still manual. One advance has been to move to open shelf filing system with end tabs. But end tab labeling was either time consuming and difficult or else, expensive. In order to alleviate some of these problems the Trinidad and Tobago Family Courts have implemented the Smead SmartStrip (http://www.smead.com/Director.asp?NodeID=452) system to generate the labels for their physical case files. The SmartStrip software allows one to generate the entire color coded file tab end label, numbers, bar code, and special identifiers at one time with a color printer. The SmartStrip labels have a patented perforation that aligns the labels to the file folder. I have attached a sample of the label used at the Trinidad and Tobago Family Court with the perforations lined in so it is easier for you to see how it works. Attachments: - Trinidad and Tobago Family Court SmartStrip Example (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/smartstrip_0002.jpg Size: 112976 bytes) ================================ LAW LIBRARIANS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH WIRELESS NETWORK SERVICES Posted by Jim McMillan on June 27, 2006 at 11:26 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=203 ================================ Last year, Peggy Rogers of our NCSC Knowledge and Information Services group asked a group of court law librarians about their experiences with installing wireless (WiFi) network access for their customers. The attached article is a compilation of their interesting responses. Attachments: - Law Librarian's Experience with Wireless Network Services (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/LawLibraryWiFi.pdf Size: 11360 bytes) ================================ BUILD IT YOURSELF: THE WASHTENAW COUNTY MICHIGAN JURY ATM Posted by Jim McMillan on June 19, 2006 at 11:26 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=202 ================================ Our friend, the Hon. Donald E. Shelton, Circuit Judge with the Washtenaw County Trial Court in Ann Arbor, Michigan sends the following: About a year ago we decided to try to implement a new system to pay jurors via ATM. After some study, we ultimately decided to purchase our own ATM machine rather than contract with a local bank or other financial institution. After working out some bugs and developing experience with the process, we can now report that we are very satisfied with this approach. The Court bought the ATM machine from the manufacturer and used them to help us program the payment system. An article posted by the manufacturer on our system can be found on their website by clicking on the link below. Attachments: - Washtenaw County Jury ATM System (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/Diebold Washtenaw Case Study FINAL.pdf Size: 55551 bytes) ================================ PC POSTURE Posted by Jim McMillan on June 6, 2006 at 11:12 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=201 ================================ eWeek Magazine (http://www.eweek.com/) has posted an interesting article about computer user ergonomics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics) titled "The Perils of PC Posture" (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1970696,00.asp). ================================ ELECTRONIC CASE FILING PROGRAM KICKS OFF AT ORANGE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE Posted by Jim McMillan on May 30, 2006 at 2:18 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=200 ================================ Thanks to Leesa Bainbridge of the Orange County, Florida Clerk of Circuit Court (http://www.myorangeclerk.com/) office for the following article. Orange County Clerk of Courts Lydia Gardner (http://www.myorangeclerk.com/operations/meet-lydia.shtml) is pleased to announce that Ed Foster of Akerman, Senterfitt and Edison became the first attorney to electronically file a case under our new Electronic Case Filing system. The Complex Business Litigation case was filed April 5, 2006, in the Civil Division under the direction of Program Manager Carolyn Weber. "We are thrilled to get our first case just 14 months after we began laying the groundwork for the project", Gardner said. "E-commerce is the future and we plan to stay on the cutting edge of that universe." Gardner also praised the leadership of Weber, whose experience developing an Electronic Case Filing system in the federal courts was invaluable as she began creating the program for the Orange County Clerk of Courts. Electronic Case Filing - or ECF - is one of the most significant innovations ever implemented at the Clerk's Office. The E-filing plan was approved by the Supreme Court for Complex Business Litigation in February 2005. As required by the Supreme Court, our operation begins with a pilot program involving a limited number of law firms. In time, that program will expand significantly. The Orange County Clerk of Courts is the first among large counties to begin rolling out an ECF program. ECF allows attorneys to electronically file new cases and subsequent pleadings 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere they have Internet access. It allows for 24-hour access to those files, which are secured by a password. It means faster document retrieval, savings on courier and postage fees, fewer visits to the Clerk's Office and reduced use of paper. Attorneys are alerted to any case activity through automatic emails. There are 50 attorneys registered in ECF with 157 documents electronically filed. We have two pro se tenant eviction cases as part of our pilot phase. The advantages to attorneys, clients and Orange County will only expand as the program grows. ================================ FEDERAL COURTS E-GOVERNMENT ACT COMPLIANCE Posted by Jim McMillan on May 30, 2006 at 2:13 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=199 ================================ In an article (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/05-06/egovernment/index.html) in the US Federal Court's newsletter, "The Third Branch" (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/index.html), they reported that the judiciaries compliance with the "E-Government Act of 2002" was nearly total. The article explains that the US Congress passed the E-Government Act in order to improve customer service to citizens via the Internet. The article further notes that nearly 200 Federal Courts have their own websites, and that many are not only in compliance but exceed the type and amount of information required. ================================ THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGES OF JURY SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on May 17, 2006 at 2:46 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=198 ================================ The 2003 book "The Promise and Challenges of Jury System Technology" (http://www.ncsconline.org/Juries/PCJST.htm) by Tom Munsterman and Paula Hannaford-Agor is now available online from the National Center for State Courts website. This publication supported by a grant from the State Justice Institute explores issues such as the policy implication of jury management technologies, usage of source lists, qualification and summoning, and service and post-service technologies. ================================ DELAWARE COURTS EXPAND E-FILING Posted by Jim McMillan on May 17, 2006 at 2:27 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=197 ================================ The Delaware Supreme Court recently issued a press announcement that "the Court will be expanding its eFiling initiative to all new civil appeals from the Court of Chancery and Superior Court effective Thursday, June 1, 2006. This is the second phase of the Court's implementation of the eFiling project. The first phase consisted of only those civil appeals from the Court of Chancery and the Superior Court that were previously eFiled in those courts." For the complete press announcement click on the link below. Attachments: - Delaware Courts E-Filing Program Press Release (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/efilingpro042706.pdf Size: 14145 bytes) ================================ MARICOPA COUNTY (PHOENIX, ARIZONA) SENDS NEWS Posted by Jim McMillan on May 17, 2006 at 2:21 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=196 ================================ Thanks to Katherine Johnson of the Maricopa County Integrated Justice System project in Phoenix, Arizona for sending along their most recent newsletter. For a full copy of the newsletter with details and yes, even pictures, click on the link below. Highlights from the newsletter are: ELECTRONIC FILING OF CRIMINAL CASE DATA - Criminal case filing data is being passed electronically from the County Attorney's Office to the Clerk of the Superior Court eliminating the manual data entry and the potential for data entry errors. Once accepted by the Superior Court, copies of the criminal case data are available for other justice agencies to receive. The Public Defender will be the first additional agency to receive this electronic data before the end of this fiscal year. ELECTRONIC FILING OF SUBSEQUENT CRIMINAL CASE DOCUMENTS - Subsequent criminal case documents such as motions are being transmitted electronically from the County Attorney's Office to the Clerk of the Superior Court and are distributed to the correct parties via the Clerk of Court's eService system. JWI (JUSTICE WEB INTERFACE) - MCAO, ADULT PROBATION - The cutover for Justice Web Interface (JWI), which replaced the Department of Public Safety (DPS) system access, to the County Attorney's Office (MCAO) and Adult Probation (APD) was completed in October 2005. FORM IV A - INITIAL APPEARANCE - In addition to a regular Form IV, a Form IV-A has to be completed when an arrestee is arrested on a warrant from another jurisdiction. The form has a check box to indicate whether the arrest is a Fugitive of Justice arrest, as well as a section for the arresting officer to describe how the individual was identified as the subject of the warrant. Both the Form IV and the Form IV A would be completed and sent to IA and MCAO. Attachments: - The Integrated Criminal Justice Information System Newsletter - May 2006 (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/ICJIS Newsletter 2006 05.pdf Size: 86194 bytes) ================================ INCREASING PUBLIC ACCESS TO COURT RULES - MOVING FROM GOOD TO GREAT Posted by Jim McMillan on May 10, 2006 at 11:52 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=195 ================================ Submitted by Cari Gerchick, Esq., Communications Director, Arizona Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Courts Submitting changes or comments to Arizona's court rules, which apply in all state courts, has just gotten easier. The Arizona Supreme Court now accepts electronic filing of rule petitions and rule comments at the "Rules EForum." The Rules E-Forum is a website created by the Arizona Supreme Court that allows the public to monitor all pending rules petitions and comments. "Allowing electronic filing of rule petitions and rule comments saves time and money for members of the legal and non-legal communities who wish to be a part of the rule change process," said Chief Justice Ruth V. McGregor. "We're excited about our ability to offer easier access for all interested parties, in another step to move our courts from good to great." To submit, comment on, or view a rule change petition, please visit www.supreme.state.az.us/rules/ (http://www.supreme.state.az.us/rules/) and register. The public may still submit rule change petitions and comments in the traditional, paper method with the Clerk of the Supreme Court located at 1501 West Washington, Fourth Floor, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. For instructions, please visit: www.supreme.state.az.us/clerk (http://www.supreme.state.az.us/clerk/). These documents will appear on the electronic forum. For more information about the Arizona Supreme Court's Rules E-Forum, visit: www.supreme.state.az.us/rules/ (http://www.supreme.state.az.us/rules/) and click on Frequently Asked Questions. ================================ MICHIGAN IMPLEMENTS STATEWIDE DRUG COURT CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Posted by Jim McMillan on May 10, 2006 at 11:39 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=194 ================================ Submitted by: Nial Raaen, Director of Trial Court Services, Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) announces the release of its statewide web-based drug court case information system (DCCMIS). The DCCMIS is designed to support drug court case management and the collection and analysis of drug court data. The DCCMIS project began in late 2003 when SCAO requested technical assistance from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to recommend an approach to improve drug court automation in the state. NCSC further assisted with the preparation of a request for proposal (RFP) to develop a drug court case management system for statewide implementation. Five focus group meetings were held with drug court users and key stakeholders to refine RFP requirements. An advisory committee of drug court users was convened to review vendor proposals and evaluate system demonstrations. Following a review of ten proposals, the advisory committee recommended that the contract be awarded to Advanced Computer Technologies (ACT) of Montgomery, Alabama. Development of the DCCMIS software application commenced in January 2005 with site visits to observe court processes and define user requirements in local trial and tribal courts. A users' focus group was then convened to review the design of vendor's current drug court software and identify changes needed to incorporate requirements unique to Michigan. SCAO drug court staff also led a data standards committee to identify required data elements for drug court evaluation. The alpha-version DCCMIS application was then presented to more than 50 users during software testing sessions conducted at the Michigan Hall of Justice in late summer 2005. Final testing of the system was completed at selected beta sites. The on-going costs of system hosting and maintenance are covered by SCAO. The only cost to local drug courts will be for high speed internet connection and upgrades to PC software and hardware, if needed. All courts that receive state funding through the Michigan Drug Court Grant Program will use the system as a condition of their funding beginning in fiscal year 2007. Other drug courts are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. System training starts with a brief site visit to assess each court's readiness for implementation. Courts are responsible for ensuring that they meet necessary hardware and software requirements. Training begins with a regional session for groups of court users, followed by live training at each court site. The SCAO training team is large enough to allow concurrent deployment of the system at several sites. Training and implementation was completed at 54 drug courts within five months of system release. Help desk services and an online users' manual are provided by the vendor, along with on-going support and training from SCAO. The DCCMIS analysis component will provide users the ability to conduct descriptive and comparative bi-variant analysis of their data without the need to export data into other statistical programs. The system will allow users to select out subgroups of clients using any combination of the variables collected in the system, and provide the analytic tools to describe the frequency, percent, mean, standard deviation, and range of each subgroup. Differences between subgroup characteristics and recidivism can be tested. This will provide managers quick access to information and measurable program performance to assist with strategic planning and administrative decision making. Funding for the DCCMIS has been provided in part by grants from the Michigan Office of Drug Control Policy and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. For questions regarding our project contact Ms. Emily Taylor in the SCAO Drug Court Programs Office at (517) 373-7351 or TaylorE@courts.mi.gov (mailto:TaylorE@courts.mi.gov). ================================ TRENDS ARTICLE ON TABLET PCS Posted by Jim McMillan on May 2, 2006 at 3:05 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=193 ================================ The NCSC's Trends articles has introduced an article on Tablet Personal Computers (http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/Trends/2006/TecManPCTablet.html) with pictures of the format options, and links to three articles posted by an attorney that uses them. In addition, one of the articles (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/features/article.asp?ID=45) has an interesting note on a Tablet PC forms software application that could be useful in the courtroom. ================================ SETTING UP MULTIPLE MONITORS FROM ONE PC Posted by Jim McMillan on April 21, 2006 at 2:58 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=192 ================================ Being the techno wizards that we are here at the NCSC, we of course are always trying to figure out a way to buy more technology. The other day we were looking into the ways that we could setup multiple video monitors from one PC or laptop and found this article on Microsoft's website (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/northrup_multimon.mspx) that provides a good starting point for investigation. For several years we have recommended that courts look at multiple smaller monitors for their courtroom bench in order to both increase screen space while maintaining sight lines. ================================ US SUPREME COURT APPROVES NEW ELECTRONIC DISCOVERY RULES Posted by Jim McMillan on April 21, 2006 at 2:51 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=191 ================================ Thanks to Michael Arkfeld (http://www.arkfeld.com/) for this note: On April 12, 2006 the United States Supreme Court approved the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. These rules concern the discovery of "electronically stored information" (ESI). These rule changes affect Rules 16, 26, 33, 34, 37, 45 and Form 35. The rules have been sent to Congress and will become effective on December 1, 2006 unless Congress acts to change or defer the amendments. The amendments are available on the United States Court's web site (http://www.uscourts.gov/rules/newrules6.html#cv0804). ================================ NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION AWARDS GRANTS Posted by Jim McMillan on April 7, 2006 at 10:25 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=190 ================================ Federal Computer Week (http://www.fcw.com/) magazine has noted that the National Governors Association (http://www.nga.org/) has awarded five $50,000 grants (http://www.fcw.com/article92780-03-29-06-Web&newsletter%3Dyes) to the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and North Carolina to implement GJXDM based data sharing projects. ================================ A WEB-BASED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION SYSTEM IS RUNNING IN FLORIDA Posted by Jim McMillan on March 29, 2006 at 11:52 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=189 ================================ Dan Zinn, CIO in the Office of the State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit in West Palm Beach, Florida sends us the following description of their new web-based domestic violence protection system: The Domestic Violence Information System (DVIS) is a web-enabled application designed to provide a centralized source for information about victims and defendants involved in domestic violence. The purpose of the project is to facilitate more effective interventions for battered women and their children. The project objectives are to: (1) Enhance court processes. (2) Protect and provide services to persons at risk for domestic violence. (3) To collect and share information between criminal justice and social service agencies. The DVIS project started July 2001 when the State Attorney applied for and received a grant to develop a system of information sharing for the courts. The State Attorney's Office (SAO) took a leadership role in identifying the Stakeholders, business requirements and then led the development of the application. The following stakeholders participated in the development of DVIS: - Eleven (11) Batters Intervention Programs (BIPS) - Florida Department of Children and Families - Florida Department of Corrections - Palm Beach District Schools - Palm Beach District Courts (15th Judicial Circuit) - Palm Beach County Probation (Pride) - Palm Beach County Public Safety Victim Services. - Shelters - State Attorney's Office (15th Judicial Circuit) The information gathered from the meetings formed the scope of work and defined the architecture for the database. International Standards Organization (ISO) quality management principles were and are continuously used throughout the development process. A major problem identified during the process was the high level of paper generated and the duplication of effort required. DVIS was designed to eliminate duplicate efforts and to provide a central point of information sharing. Where paper documents were required, DVIS provides the ability to print out forms directly from the database. Revisiting and reengineering several manual processes also eliminated the need for paper all together. In a typical case DVIS eliminates 144 manual processes previously required. DVIS uses the information from STAC (see the March/April 2003 Court Technology Bulletin) to update the database. This approach eliminates multiple entry of information. Ten other circuits in Florida use STAC, in the future, DVIS can be implemented in other circuits without additional programming costs. Currently DVIS has 300+ users. DVIS is a .Net application that can connect to any SQL database. The application was developed using federal funds and is available to criminal justice agencies. Additional information about DVIS is available. (http://www.sa15.state.fl.us/dvis/dvis.htm) Attachments: - Screen Shot - FL 15th Judicial Circuit DV Protection System (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/fl15-dv-system-2006.jpg Size: 106516 bytes) ================================ HI-TECH NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION COURTROOM NOTED Posted by Jim McMillan on March 22, 2006 at 4:33 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=188 ================================ The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (http://www.nrc.gov/) was recognized in eWeek Magazine (http://www.eweek.com/) for their hi-tech courtroom that will be hosting the Yucca Mountain licensing case in Nevada. The article (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1940251,00.asp) notes that more than 300,000 documents are available electronically as well as extensive video conferencing capabilities. ================================ MISSISSIPPI CREATING COURT TECHNOLOGY FUND Posted by Jim McMillan on March 21, 2006 at 4:51 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=187 ================================ Federal Computer Week (http://www.fcw.com/index.asp) is reporting that the Mississippi State Legislature (http://www.ls.state.ms.us/) is creating a $10 fee on civil filings (http://www.fcw.com/article92590-03-13-06-Web&slnewsletter%3Dyes) to fund an "electronic court systems fund." ================================ 2006 GLOBAL JUSTICE XML DATA MODEL USERS' CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS Posted by Tom Carlson on March 21, 2006 at 4:34 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=186 ================================ The Global Justice XML Data Model Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=192) invites proposals for presentations, panel sessions, and tutorials on topics related to the implementation or use of the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) at the 2nd Annual GJXDM Users' Conference (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=226), scheduled for September 6-8, 2006, in San Diego, California. This conference will cover the application of XML technologies, specifically utilizing the GJXDM, to enable and facilitate all aspects of justice information sharing; the delivery of justice, public safety, and incident management; and the securing of our homeland. Because the GJXDM Users' Conference is expected to attract a diverse audience of policymakers, technologists, management, and operational staff from all levels and branches of government, presentations should address the specific needs of these audiences from a technical, organizational, and professional development and training approach. It is estimated that the conference will attract 300 attendees. PROPOSALS ARE DUE MAY 1, 2006. For more information, please see the attached Call for Papers document or visit Attachments: - GJXDM User Conference Call for Participation (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/GJXDM_User_Conference_Call_for_Participation.pdf Size: 58723 bytes) ================================ GLOBAL JUSTICE XML DATA MODEL PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTER'S COURSE REGISTRATION OPEN Posted by Tom Carlson on March 21, 2006 at 3:15 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=184 ================================ The U.S. Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov/), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/), is pleased to offer a public training workshop on the Global Justice XML Data Model (Global JXDM) (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/). Along with BJA, this workshop is sponsored by the GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=192). This workshop will provide practical implementation strategies for data exchanges and methodologies for using the Global JXDM (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/). This is a newly designed training class that is geared towards Global JXDM implementers. Class participants will learn about key and foundational concepts regarding the use of Global JXDM. Lessons presented on the first day will provide terminology and introductory information needed for using Global JXDM. This foundation will be reinforced by a technical walk-through of a justice scenario. On the second day, reference architecture and practical implementation techniques will be the focus. The class participants will do actual hands-on work by participating in sessions that will demonstrate different justice domains. During the breakout sessions, participants will learn how to build an Information Exchange Package Document (IEPD) in a smaller group setting. A team of instructors will be provided to illustrate IEPD methodology and to answer individual questions. Various tools and techniques, such as UML modeling, mapping, Wayfayer, and Subschema Generator Tool, will also be covered. On the third day, IEPDs will be worked on using the knowledge gained in the first part of the class. The training session will then wrap up with completion of the IEPD development. In addition, the instructors will spend time bringing all of the components of the training together. Each day, homework assignments and exercises will be conducted. It is strongly encouraged to bring a laptop for classwork. This new and improved implementer's course is designed to provide 17 hours of training, presented over three days. The course is being held on May 23-25, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Course Schedule: - Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Thursday : 8:30 a.m. - Noon The Registration fee is $195. For more information or to register, please visit it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=206 (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=206) ================================ GLOBAL JUSTICE XML DATA MODEL EXECUTIVE BRIEFING REGISTRATION OPEN Posted by Tom Carlson on March 21, 2006 at 3:07 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=183 ================================ The U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) (http://www.usdoj.gov/), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/), Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=8) and GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=192) are pleased to announce a specialized Executive Briefing on the Global Justice Extensible Markup Language (XML) Data Model (Global JXDM) (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/). This high-level briefing is specifically geared for executives, managers, information technologists, and policymakers who want to learn more about the benefits of implementing Global JXDM. This briefing will provide basic definitions and foundational concepts. It will provide the information needed to enable effective decision making for building applications using the Global JXDM. The Executive Briefing is being held on Monday, May 22, 2006 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information or to register, please visit it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=227 (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=227) ================================ REGISTRATION OPENS FOR THE 2006 ANNUAL GLOBAL JXDM USERS' CONFERENCE Posted by Tom Carlson on March 21, 2006 at 2:57 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=182 ================================ Online registration for the 2006 Annual Global Justice XML Data Model (Global JXDM) Users' Conference, held September 6-8, 2006, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, California, is now open. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) (http://www.usdoj.gov/), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/), in partnership with the GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=192) and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) (http://www.ncsconline.org/), the conference will highlight a new Global JXDM (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/) curriculum and will feature new XML implementation projects. Sessions will be available for policy, management, operations, and technical staff levels to provide participants at any level with the understanding they require for successful implementation. Participants will learn about practical Global JXDM applications and will be able to network with others who are working with this technology. Sessions will focus on use cases, applications of business process rules and policies, migration and mapping strategies, regional information sharing projects, messaging and transport strategies and architectures, benefits of mapping semantic reasoning technology, challenges in developing domain-specific vocabularies, exchanges across disciplines, and more. For more information or to register online, refer to www.it.ojp.gov/usersconference (http://www.it.ojp.gov/usersconference). ================================ ALABAMA AOC INTODUCES ALAFILE Posted by Jim McMillan on March 17, 2006 at 2:19 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=181 ================================ Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, Jr. recently introduced via direct webcast (http://www.alacourt.net/alafile/webcasts/chiefjustice1.htm) the new statewide AlaFile(tm) electronic court document filing system to Alabama Attorneys. The new system will initially focus on the nearly 200,000 civil filings submitted each year in the state. The project website (http://efile.alacourt.gov/) lays out an agressive implementation schedule and provides information on the court rules, electronic procedures, a FAQ, and a feedback form. (Please note that is best to view these websites using Microsoft Internet Explorer.) ================================ FUTURE TRENDS - RFID TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on March 17, 2006 at 9:32 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=180 ================================ Last year former NCSC'er, Doug Walker wrote a Future Trends article on Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) and the courts (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_KIS/Trends/2005/StoEviRFID.html). RFID technology has been receiving quite a bit of press in recent months due to a huge initiative (http://www.computerworld.com/industrytopics/retail/story/0,10801,109132,00.html) by the WalMart Corporation (http://www.walmart.com/). Even if your court converts to electronic documents and e-filing in the near future, RFID will be a very useful technology for tracking and improving security for staff, detainees, and evidence. ================================ ONE JUDGE'S EXPERIENCE WITH HIS TABLET PC BY O. JOHN KUENHOLD Posted by Jim McMillan on March 8, 2006 at 2:32 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=179 ================================ O. John Kuenhold is the Chief Judge in the 12th District of Colorado. (http://www.courts.state.co.us/district/12th/dist12.htm) He was appointed as a District Court Judge in 1981. Judge Kuenhold received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1969, the same year he was admitted to the Colorado Bar. From offices in Alamosa County, Kuenhold sits in all six counties that comprise the 12th Judicial District, hearing appeals form county court and cases arising under criminal, civil, juvenile, domestic relations, and mental health law. He recently shared some of his experiences with the Tablet PC with me and I received permission from him to pass them along. All the district judges in Colorado now have Tablet convertible PCs running on XP with Office 2003 and OneNote. My experience with a tablet PC is similar to the NCSC Technology group. At first I was greatly enamored with the handwriting ability (You can really "sign" orders in Word to send to e-filing) but have found that I use it the Tablet PC convertible more as a conventional laptop. I have had some carpal tunnel problems from overuse of the mouse. With the Tablet PC one can review e-mails and delete messages with the pen. It actually saves time and is also kind to the wrist. In Colorado, our Tablet PCs come with a program called Microsoft OneNote which can be used on any XP based computer. One Note takes good advantage of the handwriting and drawing features of the Tablet PC ability, but the program has other more impressive features as well. It allows a tab-based organization of complex related materials. For example, I create an electronic One Note folder for each trial witrh subfolders for each side's witnesses and a folder for pleadings and another for research. I create a "page" for each witness. These tabs sit to the right side of the screen so you can jump back and forth. One can also import other documents as a picture on the OneNote page with links back to the original document. So if I have found a case on Westlaw that I wish to refer back to, I import the case and it becomes a tabbed page. Similarly, I was the official secretary at our last chief judge's meeting. During the meeting there were references to all kinds of documents that had been emailed to us before the meeting. I had imported all the documents as pages into OneNote so they were tabbed in the folder. When I finished my minutes, I sent them out to the other chiefs, administrators and the Chief Justice as a One Note file. They could then read the minutes and, with one click go to the document that the minutes refer to. No more trying to find that email from three weeks ago! ================================ GEORGIA COURTS APPLYING BI TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on March 3, 2006 at 11:01 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=178 ================================ Jorge Basto, Director of Technology for the Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts was the subject of a recent ComputerWorld magazine article titled: Central Intelligence: Large organizations are moving to consolidated BI suites; (w)hy many large organizations are moving to consolidated business intelligence suites. (http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,108951,00.html?from=story%5Fkc) In the article he notes that their goal is to implement this technology by the end of the year. And, that by implementing business intelligence technology "he believes the benefits of consolidating court reporting and analysis applications will be substantial: 'There are seven levels of courts, numerous court-related agencies and offices, as well as several executive and legislative agencies that could use this information.'" ================================ FEDERAL COURT VISITING JUDGES HELPED BY ELECTRONIC FILES Posted by Jim McMillan on March 1, 2006 at 2:42 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=177 ================================ The US Federal Court newsletter, "The Third Branch" has published an article titled Visiting Judges Take Their Work On The Road (http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/02-06/visitingjudges/index.html) in which it notes: "Courts that don't use visiting judges usually cite a lack of clerical support and/or space. However, the use of Case Management/Electronic Case Files in the district courts has made it even easier for visiting judges in terms of handling paperwork. And with CM/ECF, a visiting judge may not have to travel to a court to offer assistance." So there's another reason for state courts to break the addiction to paper. ================================ WASHINGTON TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES XML WORK Posted by Jim McMillan on February 28, 2006 at 11:52 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=176 ================================ Washington Technology Magazine recently published an article titled "Integrators Woo Criminal Justice Work (http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/21_04/statelocal/28089-1.html)" that highlights several GJXDM (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/gjxdm/) based projects. The article also mentions several jurisdictions and companies that are involved in creating these systems. ================================ E-COURTS 2006 CONFERENCE WEBSITE IS ONLINE Posted by Jim McMillan on February 20, 2006 at 4:47 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=175 ================================ The E-Courts 2006 conference website (http://www.e-courts.org/) is now available. The fifth edition of the E-Courts conference will be held from December 11-13, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year's focus will be on organizational transformation that we call "Digital Opportunity" as well as cool new technology. This is the one court technology event that you will not want to miss this year. ================================ INDIANA RELEASES CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PNCO Posted by Jim McMillan on February 13, 2006 at 3:33 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=174 ================================ On February 13, 2006, the Indiana Supreme Court published a Public Notice of Contracting Opportunities (PNCO) (http://www.in.gov/judiciary/press/2006/0213.html) seeking proposals which would provide Indiana courts and clerks with a 21st Century Case Management System (CMS). ================================ MICHIGAN'S ELECTRONIC STATISTICAL REPORTING SYSTEM Posted by Jim McMillan on February 13, 2006 at 1:11 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=173 ================================ While doing some research recently we found that the Michigan AOC has implemented an electronic statistical report submission system. We contacted them and received the following excellent article from Ms. Laura Hutzel, Research and Policy Analyst, Michigan Supreme Court, State Court Administrative Office: Michigan trial courts use a web-based application, the Caseload Reporting System (CRS), to report caseload data to the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO). This secure application assists courts with caseload reporting and provides standard output reports. Trial courts are required to submit a wealth of caseload data to SCAO. The courts report the number of cases pending at the beginning of the year, the number of new filings each quarter, the number of reopened cases each quarter, and the number of cases disposed by different methods each quarter. These figures are reported for every case type. In addition, circuit courts submit juvenile case statistics, the number of juveniles under supervision, child protective statistics, and the number of children who are court wards. Probate courts also submit the number of people with guardians and conservators, the number of active estates and trusts, and the number of second or continuing petitions for mental commitments. Each trial judge is required to submit annual disposed case age and pending case age reports through CRS. Based on the reported data, CRS calculates the number of cases pending at the end of each quarter. CRS contains many features to assist courts with reporting caseload data. Using SCAO-issued usernames and passwords, authorized court employees can access CRS. The chief judge or court administrator can use CRS to electronically add or remove authorization for their employees. In the secure environment, authorized employees can electronically upload or manually enter caseload data. They can also view reports that identify missing, incomplete, or inconsistent data. Using CRS, users can e-mail a question to the Help Desk, read a list of frequently asked questions and answers, or download the reporting manuals and instructions. SCAO employees can use CRS to send reminder e-mail messages to courts that have not yet submitted or verified their caseload data. Chief judges log in to CRS and verify when the annual data for their courts is ready for publication. Upon receiving the chief judge's verification, CRS automatically sends a confirmation e-mail to the chief judge. CRS contains eleven different output reports of the reported caseload data. Throughout the year, authorized users can obtain a summary report that consolidates caseload data into general categories, such as civil, criminal, and domestic relations. They can also obtain a full detail report which lists each case type. Summary and detail reports for all state trial courts are compiled for the Michigan Supreme Court's Annual Report and posted on the public website at http://www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/reports/statistics.htm (http://www.courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/publications/reports/statistics.htm). Case age reports are under development and will show the extent to which each judge met recommended time guidelines. ================================ NCSC GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WASHINGTON UPDATE NEWSLETTER Posted by Jim McMillan on February 7, 2006 at 11:12 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=172 ================================ The January-February issue of the National Center for State Courts Washington Update Newsletter was released. This issue notes the highlights of a meeting with the Department of Homeland Security regarding court participation. Attachments: - January-February 2006 NCSC Washington Update (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/Jan - Feb 2006 Wash Update.pdf Size: 27764 bytes) ================================ NORTH DAKOTA COURTS WEBSITE SUPPORTS PDAS Posted by Jim McMillan on February 6, 2006 at 4:22 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=171 ================================ Ms. Anne Skove of our NCSC Knowledge and Information Services (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_KIS/index.html) group spotted the North Dakota Court's website (http://www.court.state.nd.us/pda/setup.htm) that allows downloads to Personal Digital Assistants, also known as PDAs. A PDA is often referred to as a Palm (http://www.palm.com/), Treo (http://web.palm.com/), or Pocket PC (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/pocketpc/default.mspx). North Dakota allows downloads of information from the Supreme Court Home Page, Supreme Court Opinions, Supreme Court Calendar and Briefs, and Lawyer Directory. ================================ 2006 GLOBAL JUSTICE XML DATA MODEL USERS' CONFERENCE -- SAVE THE DATE Posted by Scott Fairholm on February 6, 2006 at 9:35 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=170 ================================ Mark your calendar for September 6-8, 2006 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=127), California for the 2006 Global Justice XML Data Model Users' Conference. This 2nd annual Users' Conference is sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (http://www.it.ojp.gov/) in partnership with the GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) (http://www.it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=192) and the National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/). Users' Conference participants will learn about the practical applications of GJXDM and will be able to network with others who are working with GJXDM. Sessions will focus on the policy and technical drivers pushing organizations to adopt GJXDM and on specific implementation tools and techniques. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? The conference is focused on the implementation of GJXDM. The presentations will provide tools and techniques that will assist justice and public safety organizations to improve their ability to share information. Successful implementation of GJXDM requires understanding the technology at the policy, management, operations, and technical staff levels. Sessions will be provided for each of these groups. Organizations should consider sending teams to cover the full range of topics to be addressed. REGISTRATION FEE $195 The full conference brochure with registration information is being finalized and should be available in about 3 weeks. Conference Information: globalregistration@iir.com (mailto:globalregistration@iir.com). Attachments: - 2006 User's Conference Save the Date (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/GJXDMpostcard.pdf Size: 528842 bytes) ================================ COURTROOM TECHNOLOGY LISTING Posted by Jim McMillan on February 2, 2006 at 3:40 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=169 ================================ Here's a "quick to implement" idea. The Federal District Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico has posted a description of the various audio, visual, and computer technology that is available in their courtrooms (http://www.nmcourt.fed.us/web/DCDOCS/files/court_technology.html). The quick reference grid is very easy to understand. Great idea! ================================ A NEW YEAR FOR NCSC TECHNOLOGY Posted by Jim McMillan on January 27, 2006 at 3:11 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=168 ================================ We are pleased to announce several new faces and changes in responsibilities for technology activities within the NCSC (http://www.ncsconline.org/), all aimed at enhancing services to the court community while simultaneously bolstering the voice of courts in federal justice information technology initiatives. Terrie Bousquin of Santa Fe, New Mexico joined as Director of Technology Services on January 1st. Terrie comes to the Center from four years as a partner and co-owner of Greacen Associates, LLC, following six years as the judiciary CIO for New Mexico. Jim Harris of Orlando, Florida, joined as Senior Court Technology Associate. Jim has most recently been serving as a technical advisor for the Orange County Clerk of Courts in Orlando, Florida. He was previously Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Court Specialists, Inc., a court case management product vendor. Shirley Sutherland began as the Administrative Manager for Technology Services in late 2005. Tom Carlson was promoted to Court Technology Associate and among other things serves as the primary technical representative from the court community on the XML Structure Task Force (XSTF) (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=191) for the GJXDM (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/) as well as on the NIEM Technical Architecture Group (NTAG) (http://niem.gov/). Tom was responsible for developing the Wayfarer (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/wayfarer/) tool for navigating the GJXDM (http://it.ojp.gov/jxdm/). It is currently available on the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) website (http://it.ojp.gov/topic.jsp?topic_id=152) and on the NCSC website (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/gjxdm/). Technology Services has responsibility for analyses, recommendations, and support to the major national court technology groups and policy bodies, including the Joint Technology Committee (JTC) (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/jtc/), the Chief Information Technology Officers' Consortium (CITOC) (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/citoc/), COSCA (http://cosca.ncsc.dni.us/), and NACM (http://www.nacmnet.org/). Through its work with national and international courts, justice partners, and other NCSC divisions, Technology Services identifies, synthesizes, models, and tests court technology and associated business process, data, design, and implementation alternatives with potential applicability to the wider court community. Technology Services is the primary NCSC resource for creating and vetting XML solutions for court information sharing and for court technology standards development, implementation, and information dissemination. Technology Services presents major national technology educational and conference opportunities for courts and provides Help Desk assistance for GJXDM related questions from courts. ================================ SCOTT FAIRHOLM TAKES POLICY ASSIGNMENT Posted by Jim McMillan on January 27, 2006 at 3:10 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=167 ================================ Scott Fairholm has taken on a new assignment as National Technology Policy Advisor with the National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsconline.org/). He will be focusing on national court technology policy issues including federal information sharing standards, coordination with Global (http://www.it.ojp.gov/global/) and NIEM (http://niem.gov/) related activities and the development of a justice reference service oriented architecture. ================================ TABLET PCS INVADE NCSC TECHNOLOGY DIVISION Posted by Jim McMillan on January 25, 2006 at 10:28 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=166 ================================ Like the old movie The Blob (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051418/), a new type of computer has taken over our group here at the NCSC; the Tablet PC (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.mspx). Every technology professional in our group now uses either a convertible or slate style Tablet PC. For those of you who don't know, a convertible Tablet PC is similar to a laptop except that there is a hinge that let's one flip the screen around to lay flat across the keyboard. Our group currently has Tablet PCs from IBM (Lenovo), Toshiba, HP, and Fujitsu. Some of the advantages to this format of computer that we have already found are first, one can use the computer on cramped airline seats. By flipping the screen ( Toshiba currently has a short commercial on their website that shows the flip (http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/ebtext.to?page=tabletpcfam&ccid=1291041&seg=SMB&sel=1) ) one can use the pen to read, write, and work with applications like e-mail. A second advantage is that the convertible Tablet PC is a full featured laptop. So when I am in the office, I can use it with the keyboard and mouse as I am doing now to write this article. A third advantage is the ability to use the pen to take and save handwritten notes. I have Microsoft OneNote 2003 (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX010858031033.aspx ) installed on my Tablet PC and one nice feature is continual file saving. When I write a note, it is automatically saved on the machine's hard drive; no more, click file, click save. Further, we recently saw Colorado Courts CIO, Bob Roper's Tablet PC where he has their entire judicial Bench Book organized in OneNote. We are planning to have Bob and a couple of Colorado Judges demonstrate their systems in December at the E-Courts 2006 Conference. Finally, we have found that the handwriting recognition is very good. Interestingly, for me it seems is more accurate in deciphering my left-hand cursive handwriting versus writing in block letters. And, OneNote lets me be able to search my handwritten notes even if they haven't been converted to text. In general the Technology group is just now learning what we can do with our machines; but from our first impressions, we are happy with out acquisitions. For a good website that collects user's impressions on the hardware, software, and accessories related to Tablet PC's see the Tablet PC Buzz (http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/forum/) website. ================================ DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT FOR COURTS WHITEPAPER Posted by Jim McMillan on December 22, 2005 at 4:29 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=165 ================================ One of my projects this year was to learn about and then try to see if Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology applies to our court processes. After some work I have written a white paper on the subject titled: "Verification, Validation, and Authentication of Electronic Documents in Courts: How Digital Rights Management Technology Will Change the Way We Work." I concluded that "(n)ew DRM and related technology allows courts to better serve the public by protecting private information contained in electronic documents. Court technical staff needs to begin working with policy makers to discuss, plan, test and then implement this new technology." We will continue to monitor this technology area and don't be surprised if there is a session on the subject at the E-Courts Conference in December, 2006. Attachments: - Verification, Validation, and Authentication of Electronic Documents in Courts (URL: http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/uploads/drm-whitepaper-v3.5.pdf Size: 40860 bytes) ================================ JUVENILE INFORMATION SHARING TRAINING Posted by Jim McMillan on December 15, 2005 at 2:18 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=161 ================================ Thanks to our friends at the Center for Network Development (http://www.thecnd.org/) we received an announcement for two upcoming workshops, Introducing Juvenile Information Sharing (JIS) Guidelines (http://www.juvenileiis.org/). JIS enables agencies to share essential information through structured procedures and technology. The two workshops will be held from March 20-21 in Arlington, Virginia and April 24-25 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more information and to receive the flyer and registration form you can contact Ms. Marilyn Webb at the CND in Denver, Colorado at 303-893-6898 or via e-mail at mwebb@TheCND.org (mailto:mwebb@TheCND.org) ================================ CLARK COUNTY REGIONAL JUSTICE CENTER VIDEOCONFERENCING Posted by Jim McMillan on December 9, 2005 at 3:20 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=160 ================================ Our good friend Chuck Short, Court Administrator in Clark County, Nevada passed along this press release by Michael Sommermeyer. The District Court has successfully started the court's first transcontinental trial in Department 17 by linking the courtroom with a remote site in Boston, Mass by video conference. The videoconferencing trial, presided over by Judge Stefany Miley, allows a bed-confined defendant to participate in the proceedings through a two-way video link using court cameras and the Internet. The proceedings continue today. I've attached some photos to illustrate the technology, which incorporates the court's video system to record the proceedings. This success was made possible by the efforts of Wayne Slater, Justice Court, David DeBoef, County Information Technology and Brian Gilmore, DC Assistant Court Administrator. For more information please contact Michael Sommermeyer, Court Information Officer, Eighth Judicial District Court Las Vegas Township Justice Court, Regional Justice Center at:(702) 671-4534, sommerm@co.clark.nv.us (mailto:sommerm@co.clark.nv.us) ================================ CTC9 PAPERS POSTED Posted by Jim McMillan on November 21, 2005 at 12:26 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=156 ================================ Many educational papers and presentations for CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/MS/MS8/page.php?p=269) are now available on the conference website. Subjects such as the "E-Courts Roadmap", "Court Automation Made Simple - How to get the Cutting Edge without Spending a Fortune", and many others are covered. ================================ SJI E-NEWS INTERVIEW ON SECURITY Posted by Jim McMillan on October 31, 2005 at 2:40 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=155 ================================ The Halloween, 2005 issue of SJI E-News (http://www.statejustice.org/pdf/SJI%20E-News%20October2005%20Edition.pdf) (PDF) contains an inteview with Wendell Shingler who is the Director of the Federal Protective Service. The Federal Protective Service is the organization in charge of court security for US Federal Judges and Courthouses. There is also an article about the Justice Management Institute's (http://www.jmijustice.org/) new book on courthouse security. ================================ IDEAS FOR A SECURE LAPTOP Posted by Jim McMillan on October 21, 2005 at 5:21 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=154 ================================ In its October 10, 2005 edition, Federal Computer Week ran an excellent article (http://www.fcw.com/article91061-10-10-05-Print) on how the US Justice Department (http://www.usdoj.gov/) is implementing new technology to protect data on laptop computers. A sidebar to the article lists 8 ways to improve security such as implementing encryption and tracking devices on laptop PCs; and the use of removable storage. Let's take three of these ideas one by one. First, turning on encryption (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/e/encryption.html) in Windows 2000/XP is pretty simple. According to Microsoft's website you perform the following steps: 1. Open Windows Explorer 2. Right-click the file or folder that you want to encrypt, and then click Properties. 3. On the General tab, click Advanced. 4. Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box. Encrypting a Microsoft Word document is also a fairly easy affair. If you have a document you wish to secure, first open the document, then go to the Tools menu, select Options, and click on the Security tab. You can then enter the password for that specific document. But of course the danger in all of this encryption is forgetting the password, so rather than writing it on a "sticky note", one might consider an embedded fingerprint scanner (http://laptopmag.com/Features/Real-Notebook-Security.htm?Page=3) such as the one built into a new laptop model when it's time to upgrade. Second, the idea of a stolen laptop being able to "phone home" is now possible. There is a number of stealth tracking software solutions (http://laptopmag.com/Features/Get-It-Back.htm?Page=1) available that can be installed on your computer. When a laptop is stolen one notifies the service provider and they begin a process of tracking down your computer once it has been connected to the Internet. One could argue that if the thief simply erases the hard disk drive they could thwart this system. However, most computers have hidden sectors on the hard drives where this kind of software can be placed and disguised. And besides, as we know working in the criminal justice system, thieves are often not very clever. Third, the use of removable storage is a great idea. There are three common ways that this can be accomplished. Currently for under $150 a two gigabyte USB storage flash drive (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/U/USB_flash_drive.html) can be purchased. While you won't be able to store your entire library of Beethoven Symphonies on this drive, it should be sufficient for most judges' working document files. A second option is a removable PC Card hard disk drive (http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=702) that contains 5 gigabytes of storage. And finally, for those of you who wish to backup everything on your computer along with your Beethoven, there is the popular Apple iPod (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/12/apple_media_center/) (or other alternative (http://reviews.cnet.com/Music/4521-6532_7-5021434-3.html)) which in the near future will be able to store 60 gigabytes of information. ================================ US NATIONAL ARCHIVES AWARDS ELECTRONIC ARCHIVE CONTRACT Posted by Jim McMillan on October 12, 2005 at 11:48 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=153 ================================ We missed this announcement somehow last month in the run up to CTC9; but after a year long competition the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) held a press conference on September 8, 2005 (http://www.archives.gov/era/index.html) to announce that the team headed by Lockheed-Martin had won. I have been searching the Internet, but technical details on the new system seem to be in short supply. Federal Computer Week (http://www.fcw.com/article90688-09-08-05-Web) wrote that the plan is to build a multi-tiered platform that will allow new technology and systems to be easily added to the archive. Washington Technology (http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/contract-awards/26924-1.html) adds that it will be built using open standards. This is definitely something for our court community to watch as we transition to electronic records and archives. ================================ NCSC SEEKING SENIOR COURT TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATES Posted by Scott Fairholm on October 5, 2005 at 9:12 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=152 ================================ The Technology Services Division of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), a non-profit court improvement organization located in Williamsburg, VA , is seeking two Senior Court Technology Associates to work in a team-based environment supplying court technology and policy analysis in such areas as information sharing, case management systems, and current and emerging technologies. Applicants are required to have considerable knowledge of courts and public administration and familiarity with the policies and practices of the justice and legal community. Considerable experience leading teams, managing intergovernmental projects, conducting independent analytical work, and participating on national scope working groups is required. Experience defining enterprise solutions, integrating strategy and design, and working with service oriented architectures, data analysis tools and system development processes is also necessary. Applicants must have excellent oral and written communication skills; a bachelor's degree, in court, public, or business administration or other relevant technical discipline; and considerable professional or managerial experience in the courts, justice system, legal system or a related organization, or a combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position. Experience with drug court programs and the GJXDM (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/gjxdm/) a plus. Hiring Salary $89,874-$105,000 based on experience and qualifications; plus comprehensive benefits. Resumes accepted until position is filled; for earliest consideration submit resumes, work/writing sample and salary history by Monday, October 24, 2005 to: National Center for State Courts DEPT. TECH-009/010 300 Newport Avenue Williamsburg , VA 23185 Or fax (757) 259-1522 Or e-mail jobs@ncsc.dni.us (mailto:jobs@ncsc.dni.us) ================================ NCSC SEEKING COURT TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATE Posted by Scott Fairholm on October 5, 2005 at 9:11 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=151 ================================ The Technology Services Division of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), a non-profit court improvement organization located in Williamsburg , VA is seeking a Court Technology Associate to work in a team-based environment supplying court technology and policy analysis in such areas as information sharing, case management systems, and current and emerging technologies. Applicants must have considerable knowledge of courts and public administration and be familiar with the policies and practices of the justice community. Ability to lead teams, manage projects and conduct independent analytical work to improve court business processes is required. A bachelor's degree, in court, public, or business administration or other relevant discipline; and three years of professional or managerial experience in the courts, justice system, legal system or a related organization, or a combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of the position, is required. Experience with the GJXDM (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/gjxdm/) a plus. Hiring Salary $53,691-$65,000 based on experience and qualifications; plus comprehensive benefits. Resumes accepted until position is filled; for earliest consideration submit resumes, work/writing sample and salary history by 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 24, 2005 to: National Center for State Courts DEPT. TECH-006 300 Newport Avenue Williamsburg , VA 23185 Or fax (757) 259-1522 Or e-mail jobs@ncsc.dni.us (mailto:jobs@ncsc.dni.us) ================================ CTC9 WEBSITE COMPETITION TOP TEN ANNOUNCED Posted by Tom Carlson on September 26, 2005 at 11:09 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=150 ================================ With over 30 courts entering the CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/) Website Competition we are please to announce the Top Ten. The results are: - 1. Indiana Supreme Court (http://www.in.gov/judiciary/) - 2. Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento (http://www.saccourt.com/) - 3. Supreme Court of Florida (http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/) - 4. 19th Judicial Circuit, Illinois (http://19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/) - 5. Superior Court of California, County of Napa (http://www.napa.courts.ca.gov/) - 6. New Jersey Judiciary (http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/) - 7. Courts Service of Ireland (http://www.courts.ie/) - 8.(tied) Dakota County District Court (http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/courts/) - 8.(tied) Nova Scotia Judiciary (http://www.courts.ns.ca/) - 8.(tied) Maryland Bankruptcy Court (http://www.mdb.uscourts.gov/) - 11. Alberta Courts (http://www.albertacourts.ab.ca/) - 12. Connecticut Judicial Branch (http://www.jud.state.ct.us/) Thank you to every court that participated and we look forward to see everyone at CTC10 in Tampa, October 2-4, 2007. ================================ CTC9 A SUCCESS! Posted by Jim McMillan on September 23, 2005 at 4:54 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=149 ================================ We are just now recovering from CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/). What a great conference. First, if you missed the conference, or attended and wanted to share the keynote and several sessions with your colleagues, you can do so via streaming internet video. Go to the CTC Streaming Media website (http://www.icmeducation.org/ctc_web/) to see keynote sessions by Senator Slade Gordon, former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, and Microsoft's Chris Capossela. Several educational sessions focusing on GJXDM technology and security were also captured. Too many other things happened during the conference to be discussed in a brief article but, Scott Fairholm wanted to pass along that the Chief Information Technology Officers Consortium (CITOC) held its first meeting during the Wednesday afternoon SIGs. Over 100 state and local court CIOs attended the meeting to hear from Chief Justice Toal (SC) who opened the session and to learn more about how they can be involved in CITOC. If you are a court CIO and missed the session, you can go to the CITOC website (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/citoc/) to learn more and to join. Larry Webster noted that he was impressed with the progress that has been made with electronic filing and document managements systems in recent years. And another thing that struck him was how much more important electronic information sharing seems to be to courts than it has in the past. So the good news is that the courts are becoming more electronic and more connected. Finally we would like to thank everyone who attended the conference for their participation and support. It was wonderful seeing all of our friends and we look forward to CTC10 in Tampa, Florida in October, 2007. ================================ SEE YOU IN SEATTLE! Posted by Jim McMillan on September 9, 2005 at 5:11 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=148 ================================ Please come by the National Center for State Courts booth at CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/) and say "Hi!" We are always happy to see our friends in the court community. There will be information about the various technology programs and initiatives plus a free NCSC Research and Technology CD packed with useful information such as the State Court Guide to Statistical Reporting and the first complete Global Information Exchange Package Documentation for Traffic Citations. See you in Seattle! ================================ ABA RESPONDS TO THE AFTERMATH OF KATRINA Posted by Jim McMillan on September 2, 2005 at 8:53 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=147 ================================ From our friend Larry Smith at the American Bar Association: The American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/) is coordinating with FEMA (http://www.fema.gov/) to provide resources, and will serve as a clearinghouse for lawyers and those in the legal profession who are willing to volunteer, either generally or specifically for law firm clients and for the firms themselves. This week, we (the ABA Law Practice Management Section and others) are also gathering resources that we have previously published on practice interruption/continuation and disaster recovery for the benefit of those practices that cannot continue. These resources will be published both at the LPM and ABA-wide pages, linked through the ABA Web site at www.abanet.org (http://www.abanet.org/). We continue to field inquiries on these topics. If any of you have materials that you believe are appropriate for this effort, we encourage you to share them. Thanks, Larry C. Smith, Director Law Practice Management Section American Bar Association E-mail: SmithL@staff.abanet.org Phone: 312-988-5661 Web: www.lawpractice.org ================================ WIRELESS IN THE COURTROOM Posted by Jim McMillan on August 30, 2005 at 1:51 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=146 ================================ Submitted by Hon. Kenneth L. Fields Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County In mid 2004 the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County (Phoenix) (http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/), decided to experiment with wireless service (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wifi) for the parties and counsel in four of its electronic courtrooms. The Court, working with County administration, installed the necessary equipment, developed the necessary protocols and initiated the service in early 2005. At the present time it is offered as a free service for any attorney, party, witness or spectator on the 4th floor of the East Court Building. The comments from counsel are positive. The ability to have wireless support has lead to many new ideas for litigation support in the Courtroom. Examples are to have your expert available via instant messaging to support your cross examination while the opposing party is presenting its case or having the ability to locate missing documents at the last minute and forwarding them to you while the trial is on-going. Another recent use was to have a witness testifying telephonically coast to coast while the paralegals were sending him copies of exhibits as an e-mail attachment to be viewed during the examination. The costs saving were significant when one considered the alternative of video broadcasting or conferencing the testimony. The use of wireless is just starting to catch on with the more adept attorneys and is expected to be a routine request in larger trials. For more information, contact Eric Ciminski at ciminskie@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov (mailto:ciminskie@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov). ================================ CTC9 JUSTICE INTEGRATION NET Posted by Jim McMillan on August 26, 2005 at 11:20 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=145 ================================ New at CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/), the Justice Integration Net, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation (http://www.microsoft.com/Industry/Government/jps.mspx) and powered by SAIC (http://www.saic.com/), will demonstrate how a jurisdiction can quickly realize the benefits of an integrated justice system. As many court technology experts know, criminal justice integration has been a difficult and expensive enterprise. In addition, issues such as security, authentication and trust have been significant barriers. The Justice Integration Net demonstration will incorporate all of the technologies and components you expect - XML, middleware, digital signatures, speech recognition, and more - and present a framework for evolving standards and solutions, all in a compact demonstration venue adjacent to the NCSC Pavilion in booth number 435. The CTC9 Justice Integration Net will also demonstrate what is possible in integration today using off-the-shelf software and hardware. Presentations will be made on the half-hour for most of the first day and on the hour on the second day of the exhibition. ================================ NCSC JUR-E BULLETIN WARNING ON IDENTITY THEFT Posted by Jim McMillan on August 22, 2005 at 11:13 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=143 ================================ The August 5, 2005 edition of the NCSC's Center for Jury Studies Jur-E Bulletin (http://www.ncsconline.org/Juries/bulletin.htm) contained the announcement on the latest identity theft scam. IDENTITY THEFT ALERT: COURTS BEWARE It seems that the latest target for those in the identity theft (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/) business is the jury system, as Jur-E was made aware of two separate cases this week in which jury programs were being used as a vehicle for obtaining individuals' personal information. First, in Maricopa County, Arizona (http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/index.asp), citizens have been the targets of phone calls from individuals claiming to be court officials. These occurrences have drastically increased over the past month. Often, the individual claiming to be an agent of the court indicated that the phone call was in regards to jury service, issuing harsh threats regarding failure to appear and requesting personal information for "verification purposes." Maricopa County was made aware of the problem when citizens called the court directly to question the validity of the calls, and to complain about the treatment they had received from the individuals posing as court staff. The court reacted swiftly, issuing a statement (http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/publicInfo/news/newsReadItem.asp?auto_numb=137) to the press emphasizing that the court would never request personal information over the phone, and also providing warning signs to prevent identity theft and fraud over the phone. In the press release, the court emphasized that they did not contact individuals over the phone regarding jury duty at any time. A similar scam was reported in Thurston County, Washington (http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5071559p-4622321c.html). Again, a resident called the court to report that a man, claiming to be a court official, had called her at home regarding her "failure to appear at jury service." The caller pressed the woman for her Social Security number, name, and date of birth. The court emphasized in their statement to the press that they would never request such information over the phone. Both of these cases should serve as notification to courts around the country that this type of fraud may be on the rise. Jur-E has heard of other similar cases over the course of the past year, but it seems as though they are increasing in frequency. In both cases in question, courts responded quickly to the claims and made public their policies regarding jury duty and non-response follow-up. This case further emphasizes the importance of jury managers maintaining communication with the general public. See our NCSC KIS department's page on trends in identity theft (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_KIS/Trends/2005/PriPubIDTheft.html) for more information. ================================ ADOBE ACROBAT READER SECURITY PROBLEM Posted by Jim McMillan on August 19, 2005 at 9:01 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=142 ================================ An advisory warning of a critical (most serious) security threat for Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/321644.html) versions 5, 6, and 7 has been announced. It is recommended that users download and install new patched versions of Acrobat 6.0.4 or Acrobat 7.0.3 from Adobe's Reader Download Web Page (http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows). ================================ CHRIS CAPOSELLA TO BE CTC9 KEYNOTER Posted by Jim McMillan on August 11, 2005 at 10:12 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=138 ================================ One of the presentations that I am most looking forward to at CTC9 (http://www.ctc9.org/) is Wednesday morning's keynote address by Chris Capossela (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/capossela/default.mspx) of Microsoft. He is currently the Corporate Vice President, Information Worker Product Management Group, which means he is in charge of the new version of Microsoft Office. Because this software is such an overwhelming standard in business and government, any change to this technology is significant. The new version of Office completely embraces the use of XML technology as an integral part of the software. Because of the possibilities such as easier integration between documents and court case management databases, I am very much looking forward to his talk. ================================ (GJXDM) GLOBAL JXDM VIRTUAL HELP DESK NOW AVAILABLE Posted by Scott Fairholm on August 9, 2005 at 9:18 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=137 ================================ From: Global JXDM Listserv Moderator On August 1, 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs and the Global Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC) deployed the new Global Justice XML Data Model (Global JXDM) Virtual Help Desk (http://it.ojp.gov/gjxdm/helpdesk/), which includes a Knowledgebase and will soon staff live technical support. This new interactive resource will provide an enhanced level of help to individuals and agencies implementing the Global JXDM. The Help Desk is additionally supported by the Integrated Justice Information System (IJIS) Institute (http://www.ijis.org/), SEARCH, The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics (http://www.search.org/), the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) (http://www.ncsconline.org/), and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) (http://www.gtri.gatech.edu/). Currently, this resource is undergoing beta testing and a 30-day public comment period which ends September 1, 2005. Please review this resource and submit your comments using the Feedback Form located at the Knowledgebase link provided above. ================================ GJXDM IEPDS AND OTHER GJXDM INFORMATION Posted by Tom Carlson on August 5, 2005 at 2:13 PM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=136 ================================ Sets of NCSC-developed GJXDM Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPDs) are now available on the new NCSC GJXDM page (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/gjxdm/). Also included are links to other GJXDM resources. ================================ WAYFARER 2.0 BETA RELEASED Posted by Tom Carlson on July 28, 2005 at 10:53 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=135 ================================ The NCSC is pleased to announce the availability of Wayfarer 2.0 Beta (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/wayfarer/). Version 2.0 Beta is an extensive overhaul of the tool, especially regarding the underlying database. For the user, it looks and acts pretty much the same. Here's a quick run-down of the changes: - Re-designed database to more accurately represent the relationships between GJXDM elements and types. - Database derived directly from the schema, ensuring accuracy and easing updates to new model releases. (The messy Perl program that converts the schema to SQL statements is available upon request (mailto:tcarlson@ncsc.dni.us).) - Ability to search code tables enumerations. - Ability to sort elements by either alpha or schema order (requires cookies). - No more dynamic trees on the left. (They slow things down and few folks use them.) - Correctly handles elements that are contained in multiple types (CountryCode-related elements being a prime example.) - Minor display changes to be more technically correct. (For example, 1.9 says that PersonName is contained within Person, 2.0 says that PersonName is contained within things of PersonType of which Person is an example.) Still to add: - Contextual Definitions - Status (deprecated, etc) There is a localized version as well, which is undergoing some final checking before release. ================================ TRAFFIC CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL STANDARDS Posted by Dale Kasparek on July 28, 2005 at 7:37 AM This posting also available at http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/courttechbulletin/permalink.asp?id=134 ================================ Since 1998, the Joint Technology Committee (JTC) (http://www.ncsconline.org/d_tech/jtc/) of the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) (http://cosca.ncsc.dni.us/), the National Association for Court Management (NACM) (http://www.nacmnet.org/) and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) have worked with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) (http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/), State Justice Institute (SJI) (http://www.statejustice.org/) and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/) to develop court case management functional standards. These standards provide court officials with generally accepted guidelines that they may use to assess the functionality of their existing systems, upgrade those systems or develop/procure new systems. The JTC functional standards work has been universally praised by both courts and the vendor community. Some vendors have completely redesigned their systems to more closely align themselves with the standards. Functional Standards are developed by case type. Previously, work has been completed for civil, criminal, juvenile, and domestic relations case management system requirements. On March 12, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) adopted the Functional Requirements for Traffic Court Case Management Systems as a standard. The Board of Directors of the National Association for Court Management (NACM) adopted the requirements as a standard on February 12, 2005. Development of the Traffic Court CMS Functional Requirement Standards was underwritten through a grant from United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The traffic standards are available to download in various formats from the National Center for State Courts Technology Services Standards Page (http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Tech/standards/). The National Center for State Courts currently is engaged in an outreach program informing the court community about the national standards at conferences such as the annual conference of the National Association of Court Managers in San Francisco held in July of 2005. ================================ Copyright 2004 National Center for State Courts