Oklahoma Spending $30 Million on Online Court System

Oklahoma will spend $30 million to create a unified, online system to manage court cases statewide.

The state now has two online systems, with 13 counties using one system and the other 64 using a different system. The new system being constructed by Virginia-based American Cadastre is expected to be in place statewide in about five years and cover all 77 counties, said Mike Evans, administrative director of the courts.

“I will be able to look at court records without getting out of my chair,” Evans told The Oklahoman.

The integrated system will give the public remote access to electronic case files and court documents. Attorneys will be able to file documents electronically, and judges will have the ability to manage their dockets and assess cases within the system, Evans said.

The new system also will give judges and court clerks more efficient tools to manage and track cases, and a simpler way of collecting and dispersing fees it takes in for other agencies, Evans said.

Fines and fees will be payable online and delinquent accounts tracked more easily for collection purposes.

Another goal is to keep the courts accountable to the public, said state Supreme Court Justice James Winchester, who was chief justice four years ago when talks about a new statewide system began.

“Of my 25 years on the bench, this will be the most significant project and contribution in my career,” Winchester said. The most important aspect, he said, is that the public, not just judges and attorneys, will have more access to court cases.

Fees were increased in 2007 on most civil and criminal court filings from $10 to $25 to pay for the system. Winchester said it will cost about $28 million to implement.