South Carolina Supreme Court Judge wants funds for online court records

The Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court recently urged lawmakers in the state not to cut her operating budget, saying that the system needed it to function. The State reports that Chief Justice Jean Toal recently went before a state Senate panel asking it to extend funding for the judicial branch. She said that the across-the-board spending cuts, which would affect the branch's $37.4 million budget, would negatively impact its ability to perform necessary actions. In a 45-minute discussion, Toal said that the funds were important to help create a new system of public court records online. "What you are doing with the case management system is not only wonderful, but at some point in time it will transform itself into a tool where researchers can figure out where our problems are, and where we need to focus, whether it's law enforcement or social services," she told the committee, according to the paper. Other states have been working to make more records available online. The court system in Maryland recently unveiled the Maryland Electronic Court Initiative, which would allow people to access records remotely.