Ashburn, VA., November 28, 2023 – The IJIS Institute recently awarded Project Helio – The Digital-by-Default Strategy Project the Thomas J. O’Reilly Innovation Award at its 2023 National Symposium. This collaborative initiative was conducted in support of the Superior Court of California, Marin County, and relied on partnerships from Journal Technologies and Mission Critical Partners.

This project moved the Superior Court of California, Marin County, from paper-based operations and a technology environment consisting of four aging and unreliable computer systems to digital-by-default (DbD) court services. Part of the strategy was to ensure that, at the time of implementation, the Court would not have to go back and forth between paper and digital records. This transition expanded the capabilities and service level of the Court quickly after implementation. At the same time, the Court took measures to maintain analog access to its records to provide procedural equity to those on the less fortunate side of the digital divide. In addition to digitizing court records, their new Court Management System now allows for more modern and secure interfaces using application programming interfaces (APIs). This enabled the Court to transition its data away from being stored in outdated databases / mainframes.

While a major driver for this project was to stabilize and modernize the Court’s records-keeping systems, this court transformed from a paper-based operation that was replete with unintended but material barriers to justice and equity. The transition to a digital-by-default strategy no longer required litigants to come to the singular court location in the county to seek justice. Instead, the Court has projected its digital services out to the entire community – vastly increasing access to justice and materially lowering the cost to all parties.

The Thomas J. O’Reilly Innovation Award recognizes technical innovation that has significantly contributed to the advancement of information sharing within the IJIS Institute public sector mission domains. In recognition of his immense contributions to the safety and justice community nationally, the IJIS Institute commemorated Mr. O’Reilly’s profound dedication and accomplishments by naming the award after him in 2020. More information on the IJIS awards is available online.

IJIS Executive Director Maria Cardiellos stated, “On behalf of the IJIS Institute, I am pleased to recognize this program and its partners with this year’s Thomas J. O’Reilly Innovation Award. This project successfully encapsulates the core values of IJIS Community – solving critical issues to advance information sharing while enhancing equity and access to justice for all.”