| NEW YORK - For the first time ever, the New York state court
system has made it possible to obtain information on individual court cases
from the Internet. From a link on the court system's web site at www.courts.state.ny.us
the public can access the Future Court Appearance System to look up information
on civil Supreme Court cases in 13 counties across the state. The Internet
application, which was developed as part of the court system's Civil Justice
Program, scans over 68 million records and over 400,000 active cases to
find matches by plaintiff or defendant name, law firm or attorney, or index
number and provides detailed case information, including the dates of future
court appearances.
Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman said, "This innovation increases
access to the courts by making obtaining case information as easy as a
keystroke. Individuals can now look up details on specific cases from the
convenience of their homes, and law firms can print up a schedule of all
upcoming court appearances, as well as other important case information.
Under the leadership of Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau and
the head of technology Noel Adler, New York's courts have taken a momentous
step into cyberspace. This new program promises great benefit to the public,
the court system and the legal community, and plans are already underway
to expand it statewide and to other courts."
The Future Court Appearance System was created by the court system's
Division of Technology, with the assistance of the New York State Trial
Lawyers Association. It currently includes information on cases in Bronx,
Dutchess, Erie, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond,
Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester Counties. The system will be expanded
in the near future to include civil Supreme Court case information in all
62 counties of the state. |
