Wyoming Circuit Courts handle about 125,000 filings a year, so a reliable electronic case management system is critical to their continued functioning. Under the leadership of Heather Kenworthy, the Wyoming Supreme Court Applications team just completed the installation of an upgraded case management system in all 24 of the State’s Circuit Courts. This accomplishment is the culmination of 3 years’ work, that entailed customizing the vendor’s system to Wyoming’s statutory framework and configuring it with the help of the court clerks. Then the Court’s small Application team piloted the program in a few counties and kept a steady pace installing and training clerks in about one court each month for two years. That process was completed last week when Converse County and Hot Springs County Circuit Courts went live on the new case management system. Now all Circuit Court documents are stored electronically, so that parties and the public will have easier access to court records. The system allows for more uniform data entry and more reliable data; and it provides judges with easier access to manage their dockets and assist in distant locations.
Installation of the new case management system, Full Court Enterprise, will begin in District Courts next. Although the District Court processes are not identical to those in Circuit Court, Kenworthy said that “lessons learned during the Circuit Court rollout can be applied to help facilitate a smooth transition to the system in the District Courts.” The first District Court pilot is anticipated in June, 2021. The case management system must be in place to provide a solid foundation for electronic filing, which the team hopes to pilot in the first District Court in the summer of 2022.
