Judicial Council outlines January launch and three-year rollout for statewide case management system; seeks staffing funds as ARPA support ends

The Judicial Council told the House Appropriations subcommittee on Dec. 18 that Georgia’s long‑planned statewide case management system will go live in January and then enter a three‑year phased rollout that initially prioritizes superior courts.

“Go the system will go live in January,” Charlie Bethel, who chairs the Judicial Council budget committee, told lawmakers, adding that a minimum viable product will be tested in January before broader onboarding. He said the Council expects to measure rollout progress by quarterly onboarding metrics and that 28 courts are participating as initial MVP sites to help with requirements gathering and user‑acceptance testing.

The Justice Council said the project was competitively procured with ARPA funds and will remain supported by vendors including Amazon and Slalom through 2026 while the state builds internal capacity. Ben Luke, chief technology officer for the Judicial Council, said the procurement required knowledge transfer so the state team can operate and enhance the system after the vendor transition: “They are existing staff right now that we're asking to annualize,” he said.

Why it matters: The system aims to create a uniform platform for case initiation through disposition across Georgia’s trial courts, promising improved access to cross‑jurisdiction information for judges and clerks and potential cost savings. Committee members pressed officials on the system’s effect on local clerk offices, data migration costs and whether filing‑fee revenue would be captured by the state or remain with local offices.

Officials said participation is voluntary and court‑by‑court. Bethel acknowledged early pushback from clerks about choice and said data migration will be handled case‑by‑case: many jurisdictions already have digital records, but some remain largely paper‑based and migration will be more labor intensive. The Council also described plans to use standardized data models and repeatable migration pipelines to reduce per‑court friction.

On budget: The Council requested FY2027 funding to annualize staffing resources that were initially paid with ARPA grants that expire Dec. 2026. Bethel said the budgeted figure covers roughly eight additional positions for six months and would be annualized in FY28 if the committee approves continued funding. He warned that if the state does not provide a revenue stream or budget support, the Council would have to reprioritize duties: “If we don't have a revenue stream associated with it, then you're gonna have to try to reassign as many duties as you can,” he said.

On monetization and local revenue: Committee members asked whether the system will rely on filing fees and how that would affect clerk revenue. Bethel said the filing‑fee model is the common approach for case management financing, but the Council is still determining whether fees would be remitted to the state treasury or held by the Judicial Council; he stressed that the Council does not intend to remove revenues needed to support clerk offices.

Implementation and risk: Officials said they expect the MVP to be operable by the end of the current month, with testing and user acceptance beginning in January and a three‑year schedule to onboard courts. They described data migration and stakeholder adoption as the primary risks but not delays to the current MVP timetable. The Council also highlighted contractual protections — documentation, training and a transition period required in procurement — to reduce operational risk when federal ARPA support ends.

What’s next: The Council will return with more precise pricing and monetization plans and expects to work with clerks and local stakeholders on migration and onboarding. Committee members asked staff to provide additional detail on the FY27 staffing request and on whether filing‑fee handling would require statutory changes.