A newly imposed rule restricting electronic access to Maricopa County Probate Court records means that cases cannot be reviewed without physically going to the clerk of court's office.The rule has raised concerns among many of those involved in probate court who say it prevents them from gaining access to their own cases or cases involving relatives. It also has some probate judges and lawyers calling on the state's highest court to lift the rule, which they described as inconvenient and problematic.
"Apparently these case records were previously provided online in violation of the rule," Presiding Maricopa County Probate Court Judge Rosa Mroz wrote in a December e-mail. "At this time, however, there is nothing we can do."
The rule, which prohibits the general public from accessing court records from so-called remote locations, including home and laptop computers, was established in 2009 and has been unenforced for almost two years.
The decision to limit electronic access was based in large part on concerns over identity theft, according to those who served on the Supreme Court advisory committee, which recomended the restriction in 2009.
Officials at the Arizona Supreme Court, which oversees operations of all state courts, said they didn't become aware that Maricopa County was making judicial orders and minute entries in probate cases available online until last month, when they ordered a halt to the practice.
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Probate Records Will Not Be Online
4 comments:
This is exactly how it is in St. Pete., Florida, I think the Judges and attorneys and magistrates want it that way to hide what they are doing!
Imagine that!! They admit to breaking rules! Its all a crock though.....they are just exercising one more piece of power they have to cover up their corruption! There is absolutely no reason why they would need to keep Minute Entries from being accessible online......unless they're hiding something.
I think the state is afraid of the growing exposure of conservatorship abuse and so is trying to throw up a brick wall.
They're just trying to make it hard for people to keep watch over them.
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