Granting a Day in Court: Why One County Embraced Automation

Organization Profile

• Location: Superior Court of California, Stanislaus County
• Population: 550,000+
• Tyler Client Since: 2016
• Tyler Products Used: Document Automation, Enterprise Justice, eFile & Serve
• TEA Award Category: Operational Efficiency

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“Everyone deserves their day in court. However, when case files sit on the shelf — sometimes for as long as seven months — achieving that is very difficult to do.” For Stephanie Kennedy, this is her mission — her “why” — in serving the community for more than 32 years. As Chief Operations Officer at Stanislaus County Superior Court of California, she is guided by a commitment to help others and provide critical services transparently and judiciously.

Kennedy has diligently balanced her passions of humanity and justice throughout her tenure, especially as the court has adjusted to tremendous change — from paper files stored in basements to real-time document retrieval on computers.

To grant people their deserved day in court, Kennedy and the Stanislaus County Superior Court acknowledge innovation isn’t optional; it’s essential.

From a 300+ criminal case backlog to a fully automated case initiation and review process, the commitment to justice at Stanislaus County Superior Court earned them a 2025 Tyler Excellence Award. By hearing and trying cases more swiftly, they are earnestly positioned to focus on humanity while maintaining operational efficiency.

“We’ve moved ahead faster than other courts, and it’s been a rewarding experience knowing we are helping our constituents as best we can,” Kennedy said, praising her team.

Laborious Review Process Caused Criminal Case Backlog

The Stanislaus County Superior Court, like many other courts across the country, faced a significant backlog of cases due to a culmination of workforce shortages, high filing volumes, and outdated paper processes. With over 15,000 hand-delivered criminal filings each year, Anthony Paradiso, IT manager at Stanislaus County Superior Court, acknowledged, “We receive far more filings than our clerks can keep up with, forcing them to do more with fewer people.” The overwhelming workload, complex review processes, and serious nature of criminal filings intensified the pressure for court staff to process filings in a timely manner — the defendant’s outcome depended on it.

Automated Case Processing: A Game-Changer for Court Workflows

Recognizing the challenges posed by workforce gaps and shifting public sentiments, the Stanislaus County Superior Court aimed to move away from manual, outdated case processing procedures. As public servants, their responsibility is to their community. To fulfill their mission, improving operational efficiency, specifically time to document acceptance, was a core priority.

Rather than add additional staff, innovation emerged as their solution. “If we can augment [court staff’s] work, especially repetitive tasks, that will free them up to focus on other important work. That’s a huge victory for us,” emphasized Paradiso.

By embracing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technology, the court has completely transformed their case initiation and review process. Specialized software bots, trained specifically on their court workflows and data, handle routine data entry tasks nearly 24/7. This low-risk shift allows court staff to redirect their focus toward better serving their constituents. Their approach isn’t just innovative; it sets a new standard in criminal case filing and processing.

Low Risk, High Reward: Routing Focus From Data Entry to More Meaningful Work

Despite initial security concerns for automating criminal case processing, the criminal division and their justice partners are now able to focus on what’s most important: ensuring cases are promptly processed and heard. It’s this operational shift that elevated the Stanislaus County Superior Court’s mission of access to justice.

Their efficient and fully automated process for initiating and reviewing criminal cases has benefited both justice partners and court staff alike. As justice partners no longer send staff to the courthouse to deliver paper documents, Paradiso noted, “We’ve reduced, almost eliminated, data entry errors and missing files because the court is receiving e-filed documents from our justice partners. It also benefits justice partners not having to wait for the processing time of a clerk.”

As a result, Kennedy added, “What makes this impactful is staff have more time to manage cases on the back end. Staff can focus on more meaningful work beyond case entry. We’re now able to focus on reporting to the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Department of Justice and expedite the process for hearing cases.”

Implementation Advice for Other Courts

For other courts exploring AI-supported case processing, Paradiso offered valuable advice and lessons learned based on Stanislaus County’s implementation journey.

“There will always be fear of the unknown; people are afraid of change. We helped control the fear of AI by using it in a very defined way. It’s not turned loose to do whatever it wants. We are using it for very defined tasks, such as reading, extracting, and populating information. By containing AI to well-defined roles and establishing policies around it, it’s helped alleviate staff fear.”

However, the first step is sometimes the hardest. Paradiso encouraged other courts to “begin by automating a repetitive task — get your feet wet with that. Start with simple processes and then build on that by expanding into other areas.”

Exemplary Demonstration of Access to Justice

The Stanislaus County Superior Court’s dedication to diligent justice is a reminder of the important work courts perform every day for their communities. As a successful model that prioritizes the needs of those they serve, the honorable shift to automation is a well-earned achievement by the Stanislaus County Superior Court. Not only are constituents receiving their deserved day in court more responsively, but opportunities for justice partner collaboration are more accessible than ever. The Stanislaus County Superior Court is not only administering justice; they are actively granting justice.