Special to IFN
Iredell County residents who report for jury duty are now receiving payments on pre-paid debit cards in lieu of paper checks.
This continues the effort of the Iredell County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office and the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) to initiatives that improve efficiency and adopt paperless processes.
“We are excited for this opportunity,” said Iredell County Clerk of Superior Court Jim Mixson, who also serves as president of the N.C. Conference of Clerks of Superior Court. “Moving from paper checks to debit cards provides for a more efficient and secure method of paying jurors for their service.”
“Jury trials are the cornerstone of the criminal justice system, and we appreciate the service of those who take time out of their schedules to serve as jurors,” added NCAOC Director Ryan S. Boyce. “By offering this new payment method, jurors won’t have to wait on mailed paper checks and will have immediate access to those funds.”
N.C. courts transitioning to cloud-based system
The North Carolina court system is transitioning to convenient electronic processes for the public, including free digital access to case records and court calendars, eCourts kiosks, virtual hearing capabilities, electronic form submissions and payments, and other initiatives.
For many years, the North Carolina court system case management processes has relied heavily on paper files and IBM mainframe technology, which is more complex to maintain and support. North Carolina’s new eCourts Integrated Case Management system will be vendor supported and cloud hosted, making case management and case filings more efficient and effective to access North Carolina justice system applications and data.
The N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts worked with the National Center for State Courts to convene stakeholders, develop business requirements, and identify vendors. Tyler Technologies’ Odyssey suite was the solution selected to help migrate court processes from a variety of older applications and paper-based filings to one integrated case management system.
Iredell County will be fully transitioning to eCourts in October 2025.
“Users will be able to submit their filings and other court-related documents electronically from their home or office 24 hours a day. Court records will be available to the public on the internet 24 hours a day as well,” explained Mixson.
Section 18 of North Carolina’s State Constitution states that our courts shall be open, and this modernization of the court system is critical for the expected timely application of justice for all constituents in Iredell County, Mixson said.
“I am excited we will be able to offer eCourts to Iredell County in 2025,” he added.