COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County is leading the way in Michigan as courts state-wide are switching over to newer high tech JIS judicial information systems. Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O’Grady says the county volunteered last year to be one ten counties in the state to launch the MiCOURT case management program. It will update a JIS that has been in use since 1988 and will be replaced by a Windows-based system.
O’Grady says time will tell whether Branch County being one of the first on line will bring more headache or heartaches, but either way, he wanted the Circuit Court to be in the forefront of the new technology to allow them to better develop their own expertise to assist the other courts in the county as they embrace MiCOURT. O’Grady updated County Commissioners on the developments Tuesday.
Branch County Circuit Court has been dealing with a dramatic increase in felony cases, rising from 179 in 2012 to 245 in 2013, a jump of 37%, and much higher again last year at 321.
