State Courts Recognized for Expansion Of

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Colorado Judicial Branch

Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice

Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator

Dec. 17, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Karen Salaz

303/837-3633

1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633

State courts recognized for expansion of

public access to electronic records

Justice Alex J. Martinez has been recognized by the Colorado Freedom of Information Council for his efforts to maximize public access to records of the courts contained in the Integrated Colorado OnLine Network, the state’s court and probation case management computer system. Justice Martinez is the chairman of the Colorado Supreme Court Public Access Committee.

“From time to time, our organization takes notice of extraordinary efforts by a public official or other citizen in enabling members of the public to obtain from government agencies the information they need to exercise their rights as citizens,” said Thomas B. Kelley, president, CFOIC, in a letter to Colorado Supreme Court Justice Martinez. The CFOIC is a coalition of media, legal and business professionals, and citizens groups interested in assuring access to public information.

On Nov. 17, 2000, Colorado became one of the first states in the country to allow public access to its court’s information database. A contract was awarded to Boulder-based e-InfoData.com, Inc to create a public-access web site interface to the data in the Colorado Judicial Branch’s Integrated Colorado On-line Network (ICON). Through this, court record searches on individuals can be conducted at CoCourts.com. An individual’s public court records can be accessed by submitting their last name and either the full first name or part thereof. Searches can be further narrowed by including the date of birth, and/or case number.

In June 2002, a policy was implemented by the Judicial Branch permitting the media or other organizations to submit electronic lists of data for matching with criminal data contained in the public access libraries in ICON. Fees for this service are determined based on the complexity of the request.

“The Public Access Committee of the Colorado Supreme Court has been on a mission to refine both our information systems and our policies for convenient public access to those systems,” says Justice Martinez. “We seek to achieve a balance between the public’s interest in access to information and the individual’s privacy interests.”

This information is provided as an e-mail service of the Colorado State Judicial Branch, Office of State Court Administrator, 1301 Pennsylvania Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colo. 80203. To discontinue this service or update your e-mail address, please respond to this message with your name, contact information and any comments.