Senate Judiciary advances S109 with changes on electronic court access, advisory council repeal and limited expungement

Senate Judiciary met March 13 and advanced S109, a miscellaneous judiciary bill, after committee discussion and minor revisions covering electronic case records access for attorneys, the proposed repeal of the Coordinated Justice Reform Advisory Council, a narrowed expungement proposal tied to repeal of switchblade language, and the creation of an attorney general–convened working group on firearms-surrender procedures.

The committee heard staff explain an amendment to the bill’s provisions on dissemination of electronic case records that would allow attorneys in good standing to obtain remote access through the court’s public portal rather than requiring them to use courthouse kiosks. Terry, a judiciary staff member, summarized the technical feasibility and procedural context: "He said it would be very usable to implement this from a technical perspective." The committee also asked about fees and implementation; staff said the fee structure is not fully settled and that any charge would need to be justified as covering actual cost.

The change addresses a long-standing distinction in public access: under current practice, the court denies remote public access to criminal, family and probate dockets while civil dockets are accessible. The…