State Court databases experiencing extended system-wide outage

This outage affects all counties statewide, resulting in a temporary loss of access to state-provided systems.

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

During the week of November 4, Washington State courts are experiencing a system-wide outage that prevents access to the State case management system and court documents. San Juan County Superior Court and District Court are impacted by this outage.

The state agency that provides superior courts with a case management system, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), has reported an unauthorized system event that has forced them to remove access to critical systems. AOC also maintains the statewide Judicial Information System, which contains important case information for district courts. This affects all counties statewide, including San Juan County, resulting in a temporary loss of access to these AOC-provided systems. AOC is actively working to restore service, but the disruption is anticipated to continue through the week or longer. Due to this event, the Washington Courts website is also down – a site the public uses to access court forms and other court-related resources.

“In response to this unexpected outage, we are retrieving essential documents via our redundant systems to maintain operations and ensure continued access to justice,” said San Juan County Clerk Lisa Henderson. 

However, the Courts will need to continue some hearings where the record cannot be recreated in time to hold the hearing as scheduled. Please note that hearings will only be continued where the judges will not have access to critical documents needed.

What You Need to Know:

• • Continuing Services: During this unplanned outage, San Juan County will continue opening new cases and using a manual system, as the courts have operated in the past. 
    1. Our offices remain open during regular business hours
    2. We are accepting paper filings
    3. Payments are being accepted
    4. Emergency matters are being processed
    5. Physical court records are accessible
    6. Online responses to jury summons   
  • Temporarily Unavailable Services 

• • 1. Electronic Filing in Superior Court matters 
    2. Electronic court record searches
    3. Online payment processing

“We just ask for your patience during this time,” said Henderson. “Please know that we are doing the best we can with manual systems and appreciate your help in identifying any changes or errors.” 

The courts plan to provide additional information as it is made available.  

About San Juan County Clerk’s Office 

The San Juan County Clerk’s Office is responsible for supporting the Superior Court by maintaining all Superior Court case records and financial transactions, assisting in court proceedings, and maintaining bail bonding information. Additionally, citizens may receive passport processing and Notary services in this office.  The department’s main office is located at 350 Court Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Clerk’s Office, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov184/County-Clerk.