|
Vol. 14, No. 8 August 2018
eSentencings improve service,
lower costs
The Clerk’s office and the Maricopa County Superior Court implemented an
electronic sentencing system to replace the traditional paper process. In the
paper process, when minute entries were created for sentencings by court
clerks, the minute entries would be manually scanned into the electronic court
record (ECR) to capture the defendant’s fingerprint and judicial officer’s
signature. With eSentencings, fingerprints and signatures are electronically
captured on the eSentencing orders, and these documents are electronically
uploaded into the ECR. Fingerprints on eSentencing orders are higher quality than
those obtained manually on paper and these prints can be used by prosecuting
agencies to prove a defendant’s prior convictions, if needed. The
fingerprinting devices used in the courtrooms send the defendant’s prints
electronically to the Department of Public Safety’s central state repository
immediately.
Standard minute entries are created
within three days of a hearing. Minute entries had to be physically signed
by the judicial officer, returned to the clerk for approval, and sent to
docketing staff to scan into the electronic court record. eSentencing orders
are electronically signed by the judicial officer as soon as the sentencing
hearing ends. The court clerk distributes the eSentencing orders
electronically through the eFile application to the parties and related entities,
generally the same day as the hearing, resulting in customers receiving the orders
sooner.
The eSentencing process reduces
the amount of manual docketing by Clerk’s office staff and eliminates the former
possibility of misplacing a sentencing minute entry during the scanning
process. Since December of 2017, all criminal court divisions have been issuing
eSentencing orders, resulting in thousands of electronic orders. The court’s IT
department is in the process of developing six types of eDisposition orders to
be used in the same manner as eSentencing orders, but for probation violation
matters.
New subpoena forms required now
Subpoenas for the Superior Court
in Arizona have new language requirements starting July 1, 2018. The new
requirements are primarily under the “Your Right to Object to This Subpoena”
section. For several years, Maricopa County’s Local Rule 2.5 has required
language in every subpoena about ADA accommodations and interpreter assistance
under Title VI. Unfortunately, the Clerk’s office was presented with stacks of
subpoenas throughout July that did not conform to the new requirements – and
some that didn’t comply with the long-standing local requirements. For the most
recent version of the civil and family court subpoenas that contain the
necessary language, see the court’s website at https://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/LawLibraryResourceCenter/Forms/alphaList.asp#civ.
Make sure you are using the most
recent version of the subpoena forms and recycle any older versions. Likewise,
update old bookmarks you might have to older versions online. Doing so will
save time and frustration at the Clerk’s office. Keep in mind that Justice
Courts have their own subpoena forms that are used in their courts, per their
court rules 125 and 137.
Civil cover sheet reminder
The mandatory civil cover sheet
was updated on July 1 and has information about different tiers to which every
civil case is assigned. Remember to use the new civil cover sheet with all
civil case initiations to help ensure new cases are filed when first presented.
The form is available online at http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/sscDocs/pdf/cv10fz.pdf.
Don’t labor in the heat
The Clerk’s offices will be closed on Monday,
September 3 for Labor Day. If you need to file, eFile or use the external
depository boxes as applicable for after hours and holiday filing. The 24-hour
filing depository boxes are available for Criminal, Family Court, Tax, and
Probate filings and for some Civil filings. The boxes are not for any Juvenile
filings or for Civil filings that must be eFiled. Find the box locations online
at http://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/alternative_filing.asp.
|
