Courts public records access has become easier the past few years

SHERIDAN — Over the past two years, the Wyoming Supreme Court has developed an in-house system that gives the public access to court documents.

Courts in Wyoming used to operate under a case management system, but they have moved away from that, State Court Administrator Elisa Butler said.

A case management system helps court clerks statewide manage all records that come through the courts, Butler said. Previously, courts leveraged case management systems to provide access to court records and docket entries through the public access terminal statewide.

The state has now switched to PASS — or the Public Access Search System — which is provided in every courthouse across the state.

The system was developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts staff and came at no cost, Butler said.

“There wasn’t a cost to develop the new system because we did that in house; the system itself didn’t cost us anything,” she said.

The new system gives Wyoming citizens easier access to public records and court documents, Butler said.

“(The system is) available to every citizen in the state who could walk into a courthouse. If they wanted to see public court documents or the flow of a public court case, they could actually sit at that public access terminal and look up any public case in the state,” she said.

Sheridan County’s 4th Judicial District Court has its own terminal for citizens to access. Public access to court documents has provided positive feedback, 4th Judicial District Court clerks said. Circuit Court also has its own terminal located on the third floor of the Sheridan County Courthouse.

Sheridan County citizens have access to the system any time the courthouse is open, which is usually 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents must ask for a key fob from clerk staff that gives them a password to access the computer.

Giving Wyoming residents access to court documents opens the door for new learning opportunities, Butler said.

“It’s beneficial in a lot of ways, especially if people are interested in learning about the court system. It’s also beneficial if somebody has a question about a specific case or wants to see a specific document,” she said. “As long as it’s public, they will be able to access any case in a circuit or district court statewide.”

While it may not be soon, there may eventually be a new system that allows residents to have public access remotely. This will take some time because the appropriate safeguards for confidential documents and cases will have to be implemented, Butler said.

She added that other states have already installed a remote public access system.

“There are many states right now that have remote public access. For example, you could sit in your office in Alaska and look at their public access system without having to go to the courthouse,” Butler said. “Right now (in Wyoming) the only way folks can see those documents is if they go into a courthouse and sit at that public access terminal. In the future, our hope is that we’ll be able to provide access remotely.”

This story was published on December 9, 2024.