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This Policy is hereby promulgated to
facilitate the on-going development of the Judicial Branch
Internet and Intranet Web Sites in a manner which provides
members of the public, the legal profession, litigants, judges,
and court officials and employees with appropriate access
to court-related information. (1)
| A. |
Objectives
Under
the authority of the Chief Justice for Administration
and Management, the Judicial Branch Internet and Intranet
Web Sites shall be administered by the Judicial Branch
Web Site Oversight Committee ("Web Site Committee"), with
the following objectives:
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| 1. |
To provide public information
and services to the bar and public of Massachusetts,
and elsewhere, in a modern and easily accessible
interactive format; |
| 2. |
To widen accessibility
to and participation in the Judicial Branch of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts; |
| 3. |
To facilitate communication
and dissemination of information among judges and
other judicial branch personnel; |
| 4. |
To use World Wide Web
technology efficiently and effectively to enhance
prompt and affordable justice within the Massachusetts
court system. |
| 5. |
To educate the public
about the Massachusetts court system and the judicial
process. |
| 6. |
To enhance customer service
and promote public trust and confidence in the Massachusetts
court system. |
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| B. |
Content
The Judicial
Branch World Wide Web ("JBwww") pages shall provide direct,
non-editorial information and services to the public,
the legal profession, litigants, judges, court officials
and employees of the Massachusetts court system, and to
others from around the world. The JBwww site is not intended
as a political forum, nor as a mechanism for building
support for particular policies, programs or positions,
except as they apply to the Massachusetts Judicial Branch
as a whole. Judicial Branch www pages shall consist of
material which is of interest and useful to the bar, the
public, the court system, and other visitors to the site.
In order to assure the relevance, interest, and usefulness
of materials provided, the following content policies
apply, except as otherwise determined by the Chief Justice
for Administration and Management:
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| 1. |
Web pages shall comply
with the technical guidelines promulgated by the
Web Site Committee; |
| 2. |
Materials shall be accurate
and current to the greatest extent possible; |
| 3. |
Any links
from the JBwww pages to outside Web sites shall
be related to the Judicial Branch function and shall
be consistent with this Policy. |
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Judicial Branch www pages will
not be used for the following purposes: |
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4. |
Legal advice, although
information about legal procedures and court processes
may be provided; |
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5. |
Any obscene, profane,
defamatory or offensive material; |
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6. |
Any material which would
violate any local, state or federal laws, or court
rules.
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| C. |
Operations
The Judicial Branch www pages should operate in
a uniform and consistent manner which enables the various
departments of the Massachusetts Court System to distribute
information and services in the most efficient and effective
manner. In support of this goal, the following policies
apply:
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| 1. |
All Massachusetts
Court Departments may provide proposed content for
the JBwww pages. The Information Technology Department
of the Administrative Office of the Trial Court
(the "Information Technology Dept.") will employ
appropriate support, software and safeguards to
protect the Massachusetts Court System computing
and information resources from harm. The Information
Technology Dept., or its designee, will post all
approved materials on the JBwww site |
| 2. |
The
Information Technology Dept. may specify the format
of materials proposed for inclusion on the JBwww
site. |
| 3. |
The Information
Technology Dept. will endeavor to post approved
content to the web pages as quickly as practicable.
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| 4. |
The Information
Technology Dept. shall report to the Chief Justice
for Administration and Management as often as requested
regarding the development and publication of JBwww
pages for the Massachusetts Court System. |
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| D. |
Access
The Judicial Branch www pages should operate in
a uniform manner, and be easily accessible at any time
and from any place. In support of this goal, the following
policies apply:
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| 1. |
JBwww
pages shall be accessible 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week, and 365 days per year; |
| 2. |
The
JBwww site will provide links to other approved
web pages. |
| 3. |
Web
pages shall be designed to ensure they will load
as quickly and easily as possible, and will be subject
to compliance with ADA requirements. |
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| E. |
Editing
Judicial Branch www pages shall be reviewed periodically,
however, not less than on an annual basis. The Web Master
shall determine which JB www pages will be time-stamped
and which will not. |
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[reserved
for future use]
| F. |
Case-Related
Information
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[reserved
for future use]
Footnote:
1. The policy pertaining to the
subject of case-related information is currently being considered
by the Information Technology Project Advisory Board and will
be made a part of this Policy when promulgated.
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