Seals of the Court of Appeals and Superior Court
District of Columbia Courts

Goal IV: Resilient and Responsive Technology

The DC Courts will continue to enhance information technology capabilities to provide the highest level of service to the public and state-of-the-art technology tools to its workforce. The Courts will develop, manage, and maintain an information technology infrastructure and services that are effective, efficient, and resilient in supporting the Courts’ mission. The Plan focuses on providing exceptional customer service by expanding access to court information and services, enhancing technology capabilities, and ensuring optimal security for court data and information assets.

Strategies & Key Results

   Strategies    Key Results

Leverage technology to enable court personnel to perform their work effectively and efficiently.

By 2020, court personnel will have remote access to core court operations.

Ensure electronic access to information for court participants.

By 2021, the public will be able to access an enhanced case information system online.

Acquire a new case management system for the Superior Court.

By 2021, a new case management system for the Superior Court with an interface to the Court of Appeals will be implemented.

Maintain a technology infrastructure with high availability, continuity, and recovery of mission-critical systems including building in system redundancies.

By 2018, mission critical technology systems will be available in an emergency or disaster.

Improve data quality and information exchange between the Courts’ information systems.

By 2022, more historic court records will be converted to digital files.

Enhance information security protocols and practices to ensure business data protection.

By 2022, the Courts’ IT will achieve compliance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) standards.

In order to ensure access to justice, fair and timely case resolution, and service to the public, the Courts must readily provide court users with accurate and reliable information. Court participants will have greater access to information and data through online mobile applications. Court personnel will be able to use computer applications that can be accessed remotely. The Courts will ensure that the courtroom of the future incorporates technology that will meet changing litigation needs.

To promote operational effectiveness, the Courts will enhance the capacity of its information technology infrastructure by adopting best practices, seeking innovative technology solutions, and keeping abreast of new developments. Advanced technologies including cloud computing, workspace virtualization, business-centric enterprise architecture, and network infrastructure enhancements will be implemented. The Courts will ensure that all information technology complies with federal requirements and internal standards.

The Courts have significant requirements for availability, compatibility, reliability, performance, and redundancy of information technology resources given the demands on the Courts’ automated systems for accurate, up-to-date information in real-time to serve the public. The Courts will continue to implement technologies to meet these needs. A major upcoming initiative will be the development and installation of a new trial court case management system. The new system will be web-based and designed to increase information sharing between the Superior Court and the Court of Appeals, as well as among our justice partners in the District of Columbia.

The Courts will continue to invest in protecting court information and assets from cyber threats and other risks. The Courts will employ a combination of advanced safeguards to prevent attacks on information technology assets and operations, and ensure that the Courts continue to function in the event of an emergency. Court personnel will be regularly informed about information security risks and trained in risk-mitigation protocols.

Choose Goal