Courts increasingly rely on websites, digital forms, and online services to serve the public. Ensuring that these digital spaces are accessible to everyone is essential to equal access to justice — and is required by federal law.
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act setting technical requirements to help state and local governments, including courts, make sure that their web content and mobile apps are accessible to people with disabilities.
Public-facing court information must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, including websites, mobile apps, forms, court-produced documents, and online services such as e-filing, e-pay, and case lookup tools.
Compliance dates depend on jurisdiction size:
• April 24, 2026, for jurisdictions with populations over 50,000
• April 26, 2027, for jurisdictions under 50,000
To support courts, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) recently published “What Courts Need to Know About the Doj Digital Accessibility Rule & Compliance Deadline,” (www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/what-courts-need-know-about-doj-digital-accessibility-rule-compliance-deadline) a practical resource with frequently asked questions and guidance on getting started.
“We’re receiving many questions about what this rule means for courts,” said Grace Spulak, NCSC principal court management consultant and digital accessibility expert. “This guidance is meant to help courts develop a plan and create content that is usable by everyone.”
In a recent NCSC webinar, Digital accessibility & the courts, court professionals from Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota shared how they are approaching this work, particularly how they are remediating and restructuring court forms.
“We were surprised to learn that designing forms for screen readers also made them visually clearer for everyone,” said Emily Deines, statewide manager of justice initiatives in Massachusetts. “This is more than meeting compliance requirements; it’s just good practice.”
Spulak advises breaking the work into clear steps, prioritizing new content going forward, and consulting legal counsel on compliance questions.
A practical roadmap includes:
• Auditing websites and web-based documents to identify accessibility issues
• Prioritizing high-traffic content and commonly used court forms
• Ensuring new digital content meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards
• Working with vendors to address accessibility in online services
• Training staff who create and publish digital content
• Developing a policy to sustain accessibility efforts
NCSC’s accessibility guidance (www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/access-fairness/accessibility) helps courts meet legal requirements and create digital spaces where everyone can fully participate in the justice system.
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act setting technical requirements to help state and local governments, including courts, make sure that their web content and mobile apps are accessible to people with disabilities.
Public-facing court information must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, including websites, mobile apps, forms, court-produced documents, and online services such as e-filing, e-pay, and case lookup tools.
Compliance dates depend on jurisdiction size:
• April 24, 2026, for jurisdictions with populations over 50,000
• April 26, 2027, for jurisdictions under 50,000
To support courts, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) recently published “What Courts Need to Know About the Doj Digital Accessibility Rule & Compliance Deadline,” (www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/what-courts-need-know-about-doj-digital-accessibility-rule-compliance-deadline) a practical resource with frequently asked questions and guidance on getting started.
“We’re receiving many questions about what this rule means for courts,” said Grace Spulak, NCSC principal court management consultant and digital accessibility expert. “This guidance is meant to help courts develop a plan and create content that is usable by everyone.”
In a recent NCSC webinar, Digital accessibility & the courts, court professionals from Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota shared how they are approaching this work, particularly how they are remediating and restructuring court forms.
“We were surprised to learn that designing forms for screen readers also made them visually clearer for everyone,” said Emily Deines, statewide manager of justice initiatives in Massachusetts. “This is more than meeting compliance requirements; it’s just good practice.”
Spulak advises breaking the work into clear steps, prioritizing new content going forward, and consulting legal counsel on compliance questions.
A practical roadmap includes:
• Auditing websites and web-based documents to identify accessibility issues
• Prioritizing high-traffic content and commonly used court forms
• Ensuring new digital content meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards
• Working with vendors to address accessibility in online services
• Training staff who create and publish digital content
• Developing a policy to sustain accessibility efforts
NCSC’s accessibility guidance (www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/access-fairness/accessibility) helps courts meet legal requirements and create digital spaces where everyone can fully participate in the justice system.
