What started as a modest effort to upgrade computer systems in several southern California counties’ courts has turned into a massive statewide project that is years from completion and could cost more than $2 billion. The system would link all courts and include all case filings, judges’ calendars and more.
The bill
While no one disputes the need for a new court case management system, bad management, a lack of planning, faith in a failing company and other blunders have pushed the costs up and the completion date out of sight. (State court deal nears $2 billion – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee)
Check out a timeline of the project. (Timeline_ Efforts to develop a statewide courts computer system – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee)
Timeline
And here are more details on the system.
A number of judges have criticized the cost of the system publicly, in large part because the courts have been closing one day a month for budget reasons. The battle, however, is about more than just the budget. There is a power struggle going on in the state’s judicial system as the chief justice and Judicial Council continue the decade-long effort to wrest control of the courts from the counties and centralize power. (Critics urge openness from California courts office – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee)
After months of battles within the judicial branch, the two other branches of state government are weighing in. An Assembly committee is calling for more openness from the courts’ administration. (Assembly panel says agency should detail costs of courts – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee)
