Several members of the Tennessee judicial branch recently attended the Court Technology Conference sponsored by the National Center for State Courts. The conference covered the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, access to justice, data management, cybersecurity, and continuity of operations.
Representing Tennessee were Supreme Court Justice Sarah K. Campbell, Appellate Court Clerk Jim Hivner, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Director Michelle J. Long, Senior Enterprise Project Director at Strategic Technology Solutions (STS) April Dulin, and AOC Chief Technology Officer Brandon Bowers.
"The judiciary will soon make a big technological leap forward with enterprise e-filing," Justice Campbell said. "The conference was a great opportunity to learn about other cutting-edge technology and how it can be used to make the judiciary more efficient and accessible."
Justice Campbell is spearheading a new Court Technology Committee created by the Supreme Court.
Over the past several years, the AOC has started the process for implementing statewide enterprise e-filing, upgraded the Tennessee Court Information System (TnCIS), launched of the General Sessions Data Repository, began livestreaming appellate court oral arguments, and invested heavily in video arraignment and conferencing at the trial court level.
“The pandemic forced many courts to leverage technology to accomplish daily tasks,” Director Long said. “We need to take advantage of the improvements made and continue to explore technological advancements for our courts.”
Several current technology projects focus on improving data collection from the hundreds of courts located across the state’s 95 counties.
“Bringing greater uniformity across the judicial system will ensure we are using the best data possible to guide business and policy decisions as we continue to work to ensure an equitable, efficient and effective system of justice in Tennessee,” Director Long said.
In addition to the state delegation, several Tennessee counties sent delegations to the conference. Davidson County was represented by Terry Hanserd, IT director, Criminal Court Clerk’s Office; Julius Sloss, Chief Deputy, Criminal Court Clerk’s Office; and Nick Kiefer, Assistant Director, Justice Integration Services. Knox County attendees included Scott Griswold, Clerk and Master, Knox County Chancery Court; Jason Amyett, Chief Deputy Clerk, Knox County Chancery Court; Antoine Fortuin, Knox County IT; Mandy Scarbrough, Knox County Criminal Court; and Vince Smith, Knox County Criminal Court.
The conference included five tracks: Continuity of Operations and Cybersecurity; Digital Court Transformation; Remote Justice; Data is at the Center of It All; Innovation, Ethics and the Future Using AI Tools, and Expert Advice. To learn more about the Court Technology Conference, please visit: https://courttechnologyconference.org/. The next Court Technology Conference will be held in 2025.