Judiciary presses for new judges and finishes court‑technology overhaul; ARPA funds largely obligated

The Idaho Judicial Branch told the Joint Finance Preparation Committee on Jan. 23 that it is seeking additional judicial resources for high‑workload districts and has an ongoing, multi‑year court‑technology modernization under way, largely funded by ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds and court technology fees.

The requests are aimed at reducing case backlogs, limiting travel by judges from other counties, and completing infrastructure and cybersecurity work that the Supreme Court said is necessary to protect court data and modernize access for counties and attorneys.

Keith Bybee, division manager for budget policy analysis, told the committee the governor’s budget includes a placeholder 5% judicial compensation (CEC) increase; the judiciary itself has requested $10.2 million for broader judicial compensation adjustments. Bybee also identified requests totaling about $1.2 million to add judges and court reporters: two district judges (one in the First Judicial District, Coeur d’Alene, and one in the Seventh Judicial District, Idaho Falls), two magistrate judges (one in the Fifth Judicial District, Twin Falls, and one in the Seventh), and two court reporters.

Administrative Director of Courts Sarah Omanson described a multi‑year, ARPA‑funded upgrade to the courts’ infrastructure that began after a 2020 review flagged cybersecurity risks and deficiencies in the systems that support case management and sensitive court records. The branch received approximately $19.9 million in ARPA funds previously for court technology work; Bybee said roughly $16 million of ARPA funding was requested for reappropriation into the next fiscal cycle because contract obligations exist but payouts are pending. Omanson said all ARPA funds are obligated under federal rules.

Omanson told the committee the court technology project includes two‑factor authentication, Office 365 rollout, a state court network in courthouses across the state, and other cybersecurity and cloud moves. "We don't anticipate being done with that entire project until the end of 2026," Omanson said. She said Office 365 rollout was about 80% complete at the time of the hearing and that contract obligations for the ARPA funds had been established.

Bybee and Omanson also discussed the Court Technology Fund, which is funded primarily by filing fees. Bybee reported that collections for the core Court Technology Fund rose from roughly $2.9 million in FY2023 to $3.4 million in FY2024 and that year‑over‑year filings driving that increase are tied to civil filings and forfeitures.

Case workload and judges' requests: Omanson and judicial staff emphasized local caseload metrics in explaining magistrate requests. She said Twin Falls magistrates open about 1,773 cases per judge per year and can hold as many as 24 hearings in a week; the court said Twin Falls has not received a new magistrate in 35 years. For Bonneville County (Idaho Falls), Omanson said about 1,539 cases open per magistrate; she told the committee the Seventh Judicial District covers 10 counties, 20,000 square miles, and that judges lose roughly 67.5 judicial workdays per year to travel from outlying counties to Bonneville to hear cases. "It has been 35 years since Twin Falls received a new magistrate and they need one," Omanson said.

Omanson described efforts to make county transitions manageable: counties may continue using county networks for non‑court business but will access court systems through a managed cloud desktop or use state‑provided hardware that sits on state networks. She said the branch has sought to provide options to counties to reduce operational disruption.

Vendor and case‑management system discussion: The branch acknowledged it currently uses a Tyler system (Odyssey) implemented following a 2013 RFP. Omanson said the court will issue a request for information (RFI) to survey current market options and capabilities; she emphasized the RFI does not set a decision to replace the current vendor but is intended to explore alternatives at the appropriate stage of the five‑year contract cycle.

Hiring and workforce: Omanson said the branch has had trouble filling several IT positions and lower hiring yields in the applicant pool; three of five data analysts recently left for higher‑paying positions and three of five IT positions remained unfilled at the time of the hearing. Committee members asked for cost estimates to close the hiring gap; Omanson agreed to provide information.

Procedural notes: Judicial compensation and district judge authorizations require statutory changes and decisions in policy committees; the Joint Finance Preparation Committee considered budget items and asked for follow‑up details but did not enact statutory changes during the hearing.

What’s next: the judiciary will proceed with contractual deployments tied to ARPA obligations, provide additional hiring cost estimates to the committee, and await policy committee action on judicial compensation and judge‑creation bills.