JCIT met on January 23rd and discussed several items:

Technology Standards - the Standards subcommittee recommended the adoption of version 2 of the technology standards. This version includes a variety of fixes to version 1.4 . Input was solicited and received by all the clerks with regards to the standards established and changes that need to be made. JCIT adopted the draft and it is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals

Best Practices - a working group established in the October 2014 meeting has been working on clerk process "Best Practices" with eFiling. The group is currently editing the document and will release it to the website within a month.

Public Access to Court Documents- the public access group has created a survey and will be routing it to the clerks and filers to gauge the feasibility of a statewide document search portal. The actual documents would continue to reside with local counties, but a statewide search system could be used to point the public to the different counties that may have court documents that may be of interest.

Criminal eFiling - the number of counties wishing to implement eFiling for criminal matters continues to grow. A JCIT workgroup is preparing statewide criminal eFiling rules to recommend to the Court of Criminal Appeals. This group is currently wrapping up its work. The rules is the last piece of the criminal eFiling puzzle. Currently, there are six counties that are fully configured and are waiting on rules. 14 additional counties are also awaiting configuration.

eFileTexas rang in the new year with 17 additional counties becoming mandatory for civil eFilings. eFiling has been implemented in 110 counties across Texas. It's currently mandatory for all civil filings in 39 counties. The system is performing well and handles approximately 21,000 documents a day. Clerks are also handling the system well with more than 85% of those documents being processed within 24 hours.

Tyler Technologies (our eFiling vendor) is now starting on the next batch of counties to implement eFiling. Of the 67 counties to be implemented over the next few months, 58 of them are brand new to eFiling and have mandatory dates well into the future. The clerks of these counties are taking advantage of the extra time by testing and perfecting their business practices early. This will ensure their smooth transition to a mandatory environment.

Tricia M. booking photo

Tricia M. today

The STAR Drug Court first met Tricia in June of 2012. She appeared near death; sunken cheeks, bulging eyes, like a long lost prisoner of war. As it turns out, that's exactly what she was. She had been a prisoner to her meth and cocaine addiction for thirty years. After being abandoned by her father at a young age, Tricia was introduced to drugs by her older brother. During the next three decades, she supported her habit by selling herself at truck stops and street corners, feeling that she deserved to be assaulted, abused, denigrated by men. At one point she married and had two beautiful sons who she later abandoned to chase her addiction. After her last arrest, she made a momentous decision to seek change. With amazing courage, tenacity and the help of a supportive Judge and treatment team, mental health case worked and specialized trauma therapy, Tricia had turned a life of despair into a life of joy. Who knew that a set of magnificent dimples were hiding in those hollowed-out cheeks?!

Judge Vanessa Velasquez, 183rd District Court and STAR 2 with Tricia M.

She's a recent graduate of STAR Drug Court Program, fervent volunteer for the Narcotics Anonymous hotline, re-establishing ties with her sons and enjoying a loving relationship with a man who has helped her see that she can be treated like a lady without having to give a part of herself in return.

Chas. Raymond Judice 1929 - 2014

Judge C. Raymond Judice (1929 - 2014), Executive Director of the Texas Judicial Council and first Executive Director of the Office of Court Administration, died November 9, 2014 after a brief illness. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1956 and South Texas College of Law in 1960.

He was in the private practice of law in Houston and then served as a Houston Municipal Judge and later as a judge on the Court of Domestic Relations during 1964 to 1974.

In 1974 the Texas Supreme Court appointed him as the first Executive Director of the Texas Judicial Council and as Judicial Liaison to the 1974 Texas Constitutional Convention.

In 1977, as an additional duty of office, he became the first Administrative Director of the newly created Texas State Office of Court Administration. He served in this dual capacity until his retirement in 1995 when the Texas Supreme Court designated him as the Administrative Director of the Texas Judicial System, Emeritus

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He was active in a number of professional organizations throughout his legal career. He served as Chairman of the Texas Municipal Judges Association in 1965 and the Municipal Judges Section of the State Bar of Texas in 1966. He was President of the South Texas College of Law Alumni Association in 1965, a member of the Board of Governors of the American Judicature Society from 1971 - 1975. He served on the Board of Governors of The American Judges Association from 1970 -1976.He received The American Judges Association's Gavel Award for Judicial Leadership in 1966, The Amieus Curia Award in 1968, and the Outstanding Judicial Service Award for Constitutional Law Development in 1973. He was listed in Who's Who in Government, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in the South and Southwest.In 1974, at the Bienniel Convention held in Toronto, Canada, he was elected Supreme Justice (International President) of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International, the largest professional law fraternity in the world for law students, lawyers, judges, and other members of the legal profession.

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, he served in the United States Air Force immediately following World War ll. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean Conflict and served with the 98th Bombardment Wing of The Strategic Air Command at Fairchild Air Force in Spokane Washington.