For our inaugural class, we placed one fellow in each of three courts. The JIF fellows were able not only to deliver on their technical and design projects, but also to demonstrate the value of their technical and design skills in the day-to-day work of the courts. In doing so, they helped courts change how they operate, as well as seed more systemic changes. To read about all of our accomplishments, check out our final report (forthcoming).

Our Projects & Outputs

We worked with our partners to define statements of work that improve the accessibility, function, and transparency of courts.

Kansas State Courts

The Kansas Office of Judicial Administration (OJA) wants to design an electronic filing portal that meets the needs of self-represented litigants (SRLs). The Judicial Innovation Fellow (JIF) will research, design, and prototype different possible solutions to inform a proposal and draft requirements for OJA to use. By the end of the fellowship, OJA will be able to publish an informed request for proposals (RFP) for an SRL-centered efile portal and thoroughly vet proposals. Read our full statement of work.

This project produced both a final report about efile and user design, as well as a series a design mockups (Figma files available upon request).

Hamilton County, Tennessee General Sessions Court

The Hamilton County General Sessions Court and the county government want to assess what data their courts have, where the data lives, what format the data is in, and to understand collection and sharing practices. The JIF Fellow will audit and improve how courts and information technology departments share data to understand court patron experiences across government services, the criminal justice system, and court debt obligations in an effort to break cycles of debt, homelessness, and criminal recidivism. By the end of the fellowship, Hamilton County will have actionable recommendations to build a modern data system, improving the county’s and court’s ability to provide greater insight into the experiences, challenges, opportunities, and disparities faced by county residents within the legal system. Read our full statement of work.

This project produced both a final report, a presentation to the county government, and a forthcoming law review article elucidating big picture lessons about court data.

Utah State Courts

The Utah State Courts Self-Help Center wants to develop internal processes and guidelines that help them improve the usability and testing of tools and content to better assist self-represented litigants. The JIF Fellow will assess existing court-created user interfaces, public-facing content, and internal processes to develop guidelines that staff can use to better assist the public. By the end of the fellowship, the Utah Courts’ Self-Help Center will have guidelines that they can use to build better products and content for SRLs. Read our full statement of work.

This project produced a user experience guide for courts and a new certificate of service form, which was adopted for use by the Utah Courts. These outputs and more are captured in a final report.