TOPEKA — A computer network incident in Kansas interrupting electronic filings and payments in the state’s appellate courts and the district courts in all but populous Johnson County has been extended indefinitely, officials said Monday.
The Kansas Supreme Court issued an updated administrative order indicating clerks in 104 counties were unable to receive online filings. The cause, which hasn’t been precisely explained, hasn’t forbidden clerk offices from operating. However, all filings must be executed with paper, delivered by hand or through the mail, or with a fax machine.
The order signed by Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert would allow individuals to request relief from the courts if filings were late.
“This order and other information on our website will guide court users on our operations while our information systems are offline,” Luckert said. “We continue to serve our communities, but we are using different methods until our systems are restored.”
The Kansas Courts eFiling system and other elements of the judicial branch’s online presence “experienced a security incident” that was publicly revealed Oct. 12.
In addition, the incident disrupted the Kansas Protection Order Portal, Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, Appellate Case Inquiry System, Kansas Attorney Registration, Kansas online marriage license application system, Central Payment Center and the Kansas eCourt case management system.
The Office of Judicial Administration sought input from computer experts to analyze what occurred during the security incident. Until operational questions have been answered, court officials said, the state couldn’t predict when the network systems would be brought online.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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