Oregon eCourt

Oregon eCourt, a statewide web-based courthouse, will transform how Oregon’s court system serves the people of this state. It is our primary statewide undertaking for the next five years, the largest technology program that we have ever taken in support of our judges and courts, and has received both support and funding from the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Oregon will become the first state to provide a statewide virtual courthouse, using technology to increase access to the courts, improve court efficiency, and ensure that judges have complete and timely information with which to make decisions.

Oregon eCourt will implement technology to shift the present paper-based system to a digital universe of information and services. That technology will transform how private businesses, public agencies, and individuals obtain information and services from our courts. It will transform how judges, court staff, and consumers of judicial services work. From the limits of a paper document available at a single courthouse during an eight hour business day, Oregon eCourt will provide an open forum available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for documents, court information, and case-related filing and payment services.

Oregon eCourt will produce those results by constructing a standard technology infrastructure in our courthouses to give judges and staff the information management resources that they need to provide just, prompt, and safe resolution of disputes; improve public safety; enhance the quality of life in our communities; and make a difference in the lives of children and families in crisis. For example, Oregon eCourt will provide the following:

• A single web portal for access to any court, at any time, from anywhere, for eFiling, obtaining information about court programs and services, and making payments
  
• Web-based services such as multilingual guides, fill-in-the-blank court forms, and self-help centers
  
• Web access to court documents, calendars, case records, exhibits, and other digital content
  
• Video court appearances from any place with an internet connection, a camera, and bandwidth
  
• Video conferencing for trainings and meetings
  
• Wireless web access in every courthouse
  
• Standardized business processes across the state

Those features will combine to enhance the public’s trust and confidence in the Oregon court system by enriching judicial administration, improving both the quality and timeliness of dispute resolution, expanding access to justice, and permitting more efficient collaboration with our justice system partners and other stakeholders — all in the service of responsible stewardship of public resources and excellence in the achievement of our public missions. At the same time, Oregon eCourt will not replace in-person services at a physical courthouse. Those traditional services will remain available, just as they are today, and hearings and trials will continue to convene in courthouses across the state and be open to the public.

We will continue to work closely with the Legislative Assembly and other partners to create the tools necessary to meet the changing needs of Oregon’s citizens and businesses, and to accomplish that vision transparently and cost effectively.