In June 2014, many Marion County criminal justice agencies went live on new software applications, as the county’s legacy JUSTIS main-frame case management system was decommissioned. This held true for the Marion County Public Defender Agency (MCPDA), which went live on the state-provided Public Defender Information System (PDIS). PDIS is a web-based case management system designed to support the needs of public d … [Read more...] about Public Defender Information System in Marion County
Indiana Rules of Court: Attorney Temporary Appearances and Limited Representation
More individuals, primarily for economic reasons, are choosing to represent themselves in court proceedings, which is creating a strain on court staff and judges. Many times these unrepresented litigants find they are in over their head and look for help from the private bar, or pro bono lawyers. When this happened in the past, lawyers faced a dilemma because of the difficulty in only providing limited … [Read more...] about Indiana Rules of Court: Attorney Temporary Appearances and Limited Representation
Hamilton County leads statewide court e-filing project
In 2014, the Indiana Supreme Court announced the implementation of statewide e-filing, which will reduce paper copies, postage and trips to the clerk’s office. With strong support from the legislative and executive branches, attorneys, clerks, judges and staff—the path to e-filing is underway with plans for statewide implementation by the end of 2018. The implementation of e-filing can be described in five phases. Pha … [Read more...] about Hamilton County leads statewide court e-filing project
The Dropout Problem: Part 2
What is behind it and what judges can do about it In Part 1 of this article in the September/October issue of Court Times, we considered research on the high victim attrition rate in criminal domestic violence cases, as well as some laws that judges can use to help ensure the integrity of the proceedings. In Part 2, we consider the civil court analogue to this predicament: petitioners who file and then dismiss … [Read more...] about The Dropout Problem: Part 2
Additional Thoughts and Observations on E-Filing
E-filing has been a welcome and relatively easily implemented improvement in the way trial courts do business. It makes us more accessible to the public and it allows us substantial efficiencies in work flow and processing. Chief Justice Loretta Rush was correct when she noted in her 2015 State of The Judiciary Address that “e-filing would transform the way Hoosiers interact with the courts.” I would add that e-fi … [Read more...] about Additional Thoughts and Observations on E-Filing