Why Should I Care About the Court Security Breach in the News?

You may have heard that the State of Kansas Court system has had what they are calling a “security breach”. This essentially means that the system has been hacked. Lawyers and Court personnel have been without access to the electronic filing and case management system since October 12, 2023. This means that the Courts and lawyers have had to return to paper filing in person and by mail. Yes, in 2023. This has caused extreme confusion and delay for everyone involved. Originally, it was reported that the earliest that the system would be back up was November 1, 2023.

Many hearings have been cancelled or delayed as Judges cannot access the electronic court file. Other hearings cannot be scheduled, as personnel do not have access to the official court calendar. Child support payments are delayed as new orders cannot be served on employers. What used to take a few hours, such as filing a new motion, setting a file stamped copy back from the court and getting a hearing date on that motion, is now taking several days as the documents have to be mailed.

The Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court released a memo on October 26, 2023, further reporting on the issue and asking for patience as the matter is being resolved. Please understand that we are doing our best and working as fast as we can to meet your needs during this difficult time. We don't like faxing and paper any more than the next person!