ECR and the Law
Electronic Court Records Authorization
To authorize a move to electronic court records, complicated decisions had to be made at the state and local levels regarding development or modification of legislation and court rules. After the possibility of an electronic court record was raised in the legal community around 1990, years of debate and discussion ensued via public hearings and meetings, community working groups, proposals and periods of public comment. Learn more ...
State Laws that Laid the Foundation for the ECR Program
As early as 1996, Washington began moving away from paper records. Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 43.105.250 stated the legislature's intent to "encourage state and local governments to develop, store, and manage their public records and information in electronic formats... [and] to set priorities for making public records widely available electronically to the public." Learn more ...
Washington State and King County Court Rules
Washington Court Rules provide the standards for Washington courts. Local courts may, at their discretion, create Local Rules to elaborate on state standards so long as they are in accordance with the state court rules. ECR Program stakeholders were particularly involved in and affected by the development of four Washington State General Rules and related Local Rules during the ECR Program’s development. Learn more ...