The Fairfax Circuit Court is moving to digital filing of criminal cases, continuing the trend toward reform

The Fairfax County Circuit Court has implemented a new e-filing system for criminal cases, eliminating the need for physical filings, and plans for further justice reforms are in the works.

District Court Clerk Chris Falcon formally announced the launch of the tool, which builds on the existing civil e-filing system launched in 2022, during a Security Committee meeting yesterday (October 1).

Previously, the court required users to pay a subscription to access case information and visit in person to receive documents, except in select cases.

“Starting today, we will no longer create paper files for our criminal cases in Fairfax County. These are digital files now,” Falcon said. “This will allow us to access criminal records from our computers and from courtrooms, rather than having to access the physical records every time we have motions, hearings or trials. “That’s a huge accomplishment.”

The announcement continues a recent push to improve accessibility to the District Court. This summer, Falcon’s office launched an eCaseSearch system that allows the public to look up basic case information in multiple languages ​​for free.

The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office also prepared one Case overview dashboard It details the cases handled by local prosecutors and breaks them down by demographics, case types, charges and total volume.

In addition to the e-filing system, Falcon, who was elected last year after making improving accessibility a key issue in his campaign, announced plans to expand satellite court services to the Richmond Highway corridor. The court introduced satellite locations in Reston this spring.

Available monthly at the Cathy Hudgins Community Center in Southgate, the site offers document copies, notary services, marriage license applications and the ability to file active civil cases without having to go to the Fairfax County Courthouse in the middle of Fairfax City.

At yesterday’s meeting, supervisors proposed expanding services to other parts of the county, particularly in the south. Franconia County Supervisor Rodney Lusk and others suggested the Gerry Hyland Government Center (8350 Richmond Highway) as an option.

“There are plans to expand it along the Route 1 corridor next year as well,” Falcon confirmed.

Other upcoming initiatives include a legal learning center, an expulsion clinic for people who have been charged but not convicted of a crime, and a property fraud alert system. The clerk’s office is also committed to automatically sealing legitimate criminal complaints and continuing to digitize historical court records.

Under the sponsorship of State Senator Scott Surovell, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law in 2021 to automatically seal some police and court records, including dismissed charges, acquittals and convictions for nonviolent misdemeanors such as trespassing and marijuana possession. The process is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2025.

“We have been working with our state partners and others to identify the cases we have in Fairfax Circuit Court to qualify for this,” Falcon said.

Nearly all county supervisors praised Falcon for his efforts to increase transparency and improve accessibility within the court system.

“I appreciate your leadership and just want to thank you for all the innovative things you are doing in the county courts,” Lusk said. “This is huge. Thank you very much.”

Providence County Executive Dalia Palchik emphasized the potential impact of the proposed legal learning center, noting that visiting the courthouse as a student sparked her interest in the legal system.

Falcon said the learning center will feature exhibits on historical cases in Fairfax County to complement an existing program in which eighth-grade students can tour the county courthouse and attend proceedings.

“As someone who came from Frost [Middle School] “When visiting the courthouse, I remember meeting the inmates and I think that sparked my love for action and human services,” she said. “I think it’s great that this has inspired your love of the law and that through the Judicial Learning Center we can inspire future generations, especially Latinos like us who grew up here.”