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Electronic filing to begin in Rice County District Court on September 25

Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Beginning Friday, September 25, Rice County District Court will begin allowing court users to electronically file and serve documents in most cases filed in the county.
 
The move to electronic filing and service of case documents – known as eFiling and eService – is part of the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s eCourtMN initiative, which is transforming the state’s court system by replacing paper-based court files with an electronic information environment. The goal of the eCourtMN initiative – which received a 2014 State Government Innovation Award from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs – is to make the state’s court system more accessible, more efficient, and more convenient for court customers.
 
One of the key elements of the eCourtMN initiative is the establishment of eFiling and eService – giving case participants the ability to submit documents to the court and serve documents on opposing parties electronically, through an online portal. This allows court customers to file documents without traveling to the courthouse or paying for postage or courier costs, allows filers to submit documents immediately and outside of courthouse business hours, and allows court documents to be sent to filers electronically.
 
Rice County District Court will become just the twelfth district court in Minnesota to offer eFiling and eService. The first 11 courts to allow eFiling and eService were part of a multi-year pilot project aimed at testing and refining the eFiling process and related policies. Based on the success of that pilot, electronic filing and service became mandatory for attorneys, government agencies, guardians ad litem, and sheriffs filing documents in those 11 pilot counties on July 1, 2015. The Minnesota Judicial Branch aims to make eFiling and eService available in all 87 district courts statewide by the end of 2015.
 
Upon implementation, eFiling and eService will be voluntary for filers in Rice County District Court, meaning filers will still be able to file documents using the traditional, paper-based method. Electronic filing and service in Rice County District Court will continue to be voluntary until July 1, 2016. Under recent amendments to Minnesota’s Rules of Court, use of the eFiling and eService system to file court documents will become mandatory for attorneys, government agencies, guardians ad litem, and sheriffs in all district courts statewide on July 1, 2016. Use of the eFiling and eService system will remain voluntary for other filers, such as self-represented litigants.
 
In addition to electronic filing and service of court documents, the eCourtMN initiative includes a wide array of various projects that are utilizing new technologies to increase efficiency and expand access to information throughout Minnesota’s justice system. This includes:
  • Providing judges and court staff with new electronic tools to more efficiently review and process court documents within the courthouse;
  • Creating an electronic portal for government partners – such as law enforcement, prosecutors, and public defenders – to more efficiently access court documents and records;
  • Making it easier and more convenient for the public to view electronic court records from across the state at their local courthouses;
  • Partnering with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to expand use of electronic citations (eCitations) and other charging documents (eCharging). These tools allow law enforcement and prosecutors to file citations and complaints electronically, from their office or squad car, with the data automatically transferred to court and law enforcement databases. Use of the eCharging and eCitation will become mandatory for adult complaints and adult citations statewide on July 1, 2016.
 
The Minnesota Judicial Branch has posted informational resources, training materials, and a three-step guide to starting eFiling and eService at www.mncourts.gov/eFile.  The Minnesota Judicial Branch also operates an eFile Support Center for filers with questions about the eFile and eService system.