Court technology committee reports MDEC rollout, kiosks pilot and AI work on redaction

At the Maryland Judicial Council’s Jan. 29 meeting, Judge Fred S. Hecker told members that Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC) is now fully up and running and that the committee piloted touch- and voice-activated kiosks in Circuit and District Courts to assist visitors.

"These touch and voice-activated kiosks assist visitors in navigating the court system, answering FAQs, and offering services like docket check-ins and form completion," Judge Hecker said. Hecker also described improvements to Case Search 2.0, a Senior Judge scheduling app, expanded e-filing for landlord-tenant cases and a new digital payments system integrated with the MVA.

The committee is also working on standardizing digital-evidence platforms so materials such as body-camera footage can be accessed consistently in court. Judge E. Greg Wells raised concerns about standardization across platforms in appellate cases. Justice Matthew J. Fader flagged the authenticity of digital evidence when AI is involved.

Jason Thomas, representing the committee, said security precautions are in place and noted that digital evidence will be uploaded to Odyssey for clerk review before presentation in court. "There are high security precautions, and digital evidence will be uploaded to Odyssey for clerk review before being presented in court," the minutes record.

Judge Hecker said Artificial Intelligence "remains a significant focus, with ongoing efforts to recommend rule changes and build a system to store and analyze data safely." The committee is testing redaction algorithms to streamline privacy compliance but did not provide timetables for broader deployment.

The Court Technology Committee meets six times a year; next steps include continued pilots, standardization planning and rule-change recommendations related to AI and evidence handling.