Texas Unveils New Electronic Court Filing System

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AUSTIN (AP) - Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht has formally unveiled an electronic court document filing system now available in all of the state's 254 counties.

Civil courts in counties with at least 50,000 residents are required to use "eFileTexas" as of Sept. 15, while those with at least 20,000 will be required to do so starting Jan. 1.

That makes it the largest mandatory electronic court filing system in the U.S. -- though people without attorneys or computer access can still file documents manually.

The $72 million system handles 4 million-plus transactions per year and should save 30 million pieces of paper annually, while expanding online access to civil court records.

Hecht announced the system Wednesday at the Supreme Court. He said it was completed 9 months ahead of schedule.

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