Missouri's court case management system nearly restored after four-day disruption

Missouri's statewide online legal case management system is nearly fully functional after a power outage disrupted access for four days, according to a news release issued by the Supreme Court of Missouri.

The disruption to the courts' e-filing system was caused by an electrical failure Saturday, June 29, at one of the Missouri judiciary's data centers. The outage damaged computer equipment, the news release stated.

There is "absolutely no reason to believe" the incident was caused by a cyber crime or other suspicious activity, according to the Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA) release.

"Although the exact cause remains under investigation (a second priority behind restoring system functionality), it appears the electrical failure may have been a simple power surge," the news release stated.

Chief Justice Mary Russell said she is "incredibly proud of all our court staff statewide. They do an amazing job for the public every day, but their ability to overcome adversity is second to none. They got creative in continuing to keep essential functions operating, from taking paper filings to dusting off fax machines to sending notices to using attorneys’ files to view pleadings, all the while running their dockets as best they can."

The only circuit court not completely restored was the 42nd Judicial Circuit, which includes Crawford, Dent, Iron, Reynolds and Wayne counties. That circuit is expected to be restored by Monday, July 8.