News Item
District Court Efiling Coming To 16 Counties In North Central, Northwest Minnesota

Posted: Monday, October 19, 2015

In the coming weeks, 16 district courts in north central and northwest Minnesota will begin allowing court users to electronically file and serve court documents online.
 
The move to electronic filing and service of case documents – known as eFiling and eService – is part of the Minnesota Judicial Branch 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. This allows court customers to file documents without traveling to the courthouse or paying for postage or courier costs, to submit documents immediately and outside of courthouse business hours, and to receive court documents electronically.
 
On Monday, October 26, eFiling and eService will become available in Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties.
 
On Monday, November 2, eFiling and eService will become available in Aitkin, Beltrami, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and Lake of the Woods counties.
 
This expansion will make eFiling and eService available in every district court in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District. Cass County District Court was part of an 11-county eFiling and eService pilot, and already offers court users the ability to eFile and eServe documents in cases filed within the county.
 
“We are excited to see the rollout of eFiling and eService for the entire Ninth Judicial District,” said Ninth Judicial District Chief Judge Paul T. Benshoof. “Given the 25,000 square miles covered by our district, the ability to file, serve, and receive court documents electronically will make our courts much more user-friendly to members of the public and to legal professionals. All of us in the Judicial Branch are looking forward to the benefits and advantages that the eCourtMN initiative will bring.”
 
Initially, eFiling and eService will be voluntary in the 16 district courts listed above, meaning filers will still be able to file documents using the traditional, paper-based method.  On July 1, 2016, use of the eFiling and eService system to file court documents will become mandatory for attorneys, government agencies, guardians ad litem, and sheriffs statewide. 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; and
  • 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 eServe system.