Kansas judicial branch will change domain from .org to .gov

TOPEKA—The Kansas court system is changing its domain from .org to .gov and it will appear first on the judicial branch website and some of its online systems and information portals. 

On July 1, the domain will change to .gov on the judicial branch website, the online attorney registration portal, and an online attorney directory. 

Other sites, systems, and portals will follow, and they are listed on an informational webpage—KSCourts is going .gov—on the judicial branch website. 

Email addresses to also change

Starting in late July, the judicial branch will also begin changing email addresses for the court system’s 290 justices and judges and roughly 1,700 employees. 

Changes to email addresses will occur in stages by office, county, or judicial district, a process that could take several weeks. 

Time for change 

Chief Justice Marla Luckert said that by making the change from .org to .gov, the judicial branch will clearly communicate to anyone who uses its services they are interacting with a government entity. 

“We researched the benefits of making this change last summer, but we were working on other time-sensitive projects at that time,” Luckert said. “The Legislature’s action this spring to make it a requirement emphasized that now is the best time to make this change.”  

Building awareness about change

Changing the court system’s domain from .org to .gov will affect multiple sites, systems, and portals, but users should experience little disruption. When the domain is changed for a particular site, system, or portal, web traffic will reroute to the new location without intervention by the visitor.

“We’re raising awareness about the change, so no one is surprised, but we expect it to be seamless for the people who depend on our online resources and services,” Luckert said. “At most, we recommend people update their bookmarks as the change is applied, so they reflect our updated domain.”

Benefits of a .gov domain

The federal government controls who can get a .gov domain, which is one reason a .gov domain is desirable. It clearly communicates the Kansas judicial branch is a government entity. But there are benefits beyond credibility.

Dot gov domains must follow certain rules, which contribute to a more secure environment for all government. By following domain security best practices, users are assured a safe experience.

Other benefits of a .gov domain are described on the federal website get.gov.