The Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), the National Association for Court Management (NACM) and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) announce the formation of a new organization comprised of court chief information officers from around the country. These senior level information officers come from both the state level and the trial court level, and will assist Judicial Branch leaders in resolving business and technology problems.

CITOC will: foster the improvement of the court systems, both state and local, through the application of technologies to court management; provide a forum for improving communication among court information technology officers; support the professional development of CITOC members; sponsor conferences, workshops, seminars and courses or other educational programs; provide support to the work of the Joint Technology Committee (JTC), under the direction of the Boards of COSCA and NACM, within the parameters established by the JTC Charter and the COSCA/NACM Memorandum of Understanding; and support the National Center for State Courts' (NCSC) efforts to carry out the agenda of the JTC.

The first meeting of the interim CITOC Executive Committee was held in April 2005. During that meeting, the interim Executive Committee, with representatives from COSCA and NACM, identified the following four primary goals which will need technology related support:

• Developing Information System Business/Disaster Recovery Plans
• Managing Public Access and Privacy
• Providing Accountability/Metrics/Auditability of Technology Projects
• Sharing of Information/Data Within Court Organizations, and Between the Courts and Other Governmental Entities

Other important goals include developing/evaluating technologies that will assist in managing: paperflow; workflow; facilities; records retention; court reporting; court interpreting; issues surrounding pro se litigants; law libraries; remote access to information; jury management; courtroom information/evidence presentations; collections—managing collection fines/fees/restitution; administrative functions; and scanning the "environment" for things like compliance with technology related "regulations, standards and guidelines" (e.g., GJXDM).

Some of CITOC's activities would include:

• Write and publish case studies which would describe success stories, and outline recommendations, obstacles and ways to overcome the obstacles;
• Prepare quick cheat sheets/checklists of "dos and don'ts" in certain technology implementations;
• Compile relevant statutes, caselaw and rules dealing with certain technologies;
• Provide a variety of training opportunities for its membership;
• Compile and publish various Technology Strategic Plans that track with business objectives;
• Track technology projects around the country, so that members will know who to call regarding specific technology related programs/projects/activities;
• Create a repository of field experts who can be drawn on to provide real court experience in the design and implementation of various technology projects. Members would contribute staff time to these efforts but would be reimbursed for travel;
• Categorize courts, so that comparable information can be compiled and published regarding IT organizations, structures, funding, staffing, etc.;
• Discuss various IT procurement methods that would include making discounted pricing available to all members and discussing return on investment methodologies;
• Outline funding and revenue opportunities for IT in a zero-sum environment; and
• Provide CIO mentoring for new CIOs.