Historically, the Indiana Supreme Court has existed since its creation by the Indiana Constitution in 1851. The Indiana Court of Appeals has played a key role in giving all citizens timely and appeals of right since the late 1800s, becoming permanent by constitutional amendment in the 1970s. The efficiency of the entire legal branch of government is important to note, as it operates on only 1% of Indiana’s budget.
That said, the Indiana appellate system has remained responsive to change over time but is truly changing in a fundamental way this year. At the beginning of the year, the font and format of the decisions of the Court of Appeals changed to make it more user-friendly to technology, such as OCR. The General Assembly recently funded licensing for electronic filing.
Now Hamilton County is a pilot county for electronic filing. The ultimate result of this will be in a few years all filings in the trial courts and appellate courts will be done electronically. This will speed up the process, be good for the environment (saving trees and power copying). The federal government uses a system like this now, Pacer in our district and information is available at an attorney’s fingertips.
We hope you find this update on the Court of Appeals helpful and the automation of the courts exciting. There is a great deal about this on the websites for the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court we would encourage you to read to understand what your judicial system is doing for you. This blog was written by attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C. who handle appeals from trial courts throughout the State of Indiana. This is for general information only and is not a solicitation for legal services.