TOPEKA — The addition of Johnson County District Court to the Kansas judiciary’s case management system Nov. 5 completes a statewide technological transition that began five years ago.
All other state trial courts were moved to the Kansas eCourt system from 2019 to 2023. The project gained urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, but stalled after a cyber attack compelled state courts to operate with paper filings.
The October 2023 attack shut down Kansas’ electronic filing network for months and was linked to affiliates of a Russian-based ransomware organization.
“We promised to transform how our courts serve Kansans, but we didn’t anticipate the major challenges we would overcome getting to this day,” said Marla Luckert, chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court.
Millions of dollars was spent fortifying the judicial system’s technology infrastructure to shield operations from criminal attacks and to make it more resilient during catastrophic events.
“I can say with absolute confidence our courts are safer, stronger and better prepared to meet future challenges as we continue our journey to modernize how courts serve the people of Kansas,” Luckert said.
The state adopted a court case management system that consolidated data on a single web-based platform. The project required adoption of consistent processes for handling records from courthouse to courthouse. Sharing work from one county to the next had been problematic in Kansas.
Kevin Breer, executive director of the Johnson County Bar Association, said having a unified system, in the mold of Missouri, made the practice of law less stressful for attorneys and staff. Johnson County has operated with a self-created case management system.
“I was on the committee that helped create the Johnson County system, and my paralegal and I filed the very first electronic document, so I’m personally sad to see it go,” he said. “But consistency and familiarity are important, especially for lawyers in small firms handling their own filing.”
As of Nov. 5, the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal should offer users the ability to search case information and court documents statewide for free.
