Category: News

More Americans are expressing trust and confidence in state courts, according to the National Center for State Courts’ annual State of the State Courts survey.

The newly released 2024 survey shows that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans express trust and confidence in America’s state courts. It’s the second consecutive year that the trust barometer has moved up.

“Public trust and confidence is the stock and trade of the courts,” said Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the D.C. Court of Appeals. “It’s heartening to see this survey reflect that most Americans feel we are earning that trust. As national court leaders, we are committed to earning that confidence every day.”

The 2024 survey also reveals that 63% of Americans agree that state courts are “committed to protecting individual and civil rights” and that 59% believe that state courts “treat people with dignity and respect.”

Read the full NCSC news release here: Nearly two-thirds of Americans express trust in state courts, says new poll | NCSC

The 1^st Quarter Board Meeting was held on December 9, 2024, at the Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond, VA.  Members of the SJI Board, Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, and Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, were joined by Chief Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals Marla Decker, State Court Administrator Karl Hade, and other court staff.

SJI received fourteen grant applications requesting a total of $1,459,487 for the 1^st quarter of FY 2025.

The Board awarded one Strategic Initiative Grant to the Justice Management Institute to assess online case resolution (OCR) feasibility nationwide, introduce OCR to two states and plan for pilots in two jurisdictions.

Three (3) Project Grants were awarded to: 1) the Maryland Judiciary to support a statewide behavioral health summit; 2) the National Association for Court Management to develop and deliver nationally significant educational programs to include in-person and remote opportunities; and 3) to the Montana Supreme Court to create infrastructure to grow the cadre of skilled Community Justice Workers, and build state approval for the non-attorney advocates to represent consumer debtors and tenants in evictions.

Six (6) Technical Assistance Grant applications were awarded: 1) the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration to develop a Behavioral Health Action Plan to be disseminated to judicial officers statewide; 2) Washington County, Oregon, to establish a framework that will lead to positive outcomes for probation and justice-involved youth; 3) the Judicial Council of California to improve caseflow management in all case types; 4) the Second Judicial District Court to assess operations and caseflow management in the court; 5) the Idaho Supreme Court to support a strategic planning initiative; and 6) Supreme Court of New Mexico to conduct an in-depth study of the process for admission to the New Mexico Bar. 

Two (2) Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grants were awarded: 1) the Oregon Judicial Department to host a statewide training summit for the jury services staff; and 2) the National Association of Women Judges to develop training on AI for courts focused on helping self-represented litigants (SRLs). The training, offered at conferences and online, will cover AI tools that enhance judicial efficiency, detect falsified evidence, and support SRLs.

The next deadline for grant applications is February 1, 2025.

The FY 2025 1st Quarter SJI Board meeting was held yesterday, December 9th, 2024, at the Supreme Court of Virginia, in Richmond, VA. SJI Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, and members of the SJI Board were joined by Karl R. Hade, of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

#SJIBoardofDirectors #SJIBoard #SupremeCourtofVirginia #StateJusticeInstitute

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

Gaining an understanding of the potential impacts of generative AI has become increasingly important to state court administrators. To help demystify this emerging technology, the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) has published, “Generative AI and the Future of the Courts.”

This policy paper recognizes the historical impact of artificial intelligence on court operations and procedures—both positive and negative—from streamlining administrative tasks to supplementing efforts to provide greater access to justice.

“COSCA believes that generative AI is poised to change the workplace as dramatically as the introduction of computers and case management software did in the early 1980s. We believe it can be used to substantially improve employee processes in many areas beyond legal research,” the paper states.

The comprehensive, 16-page policy paper outlines AI’s transformative potential within the judicial system and provides guidance for courts on its responsible implementation.

Read the full article here: COSCA, NCSC offer essential guidance for courts navigating the AI revolution | NCSC.

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) led a site visit to Dayton, Ohio where three teams of justice practitioners, treatment providers, and representatives from the court and child-welfare systems from across the country experienced Dayton’s cross-sector collaboration approach to addressing substance use disorder (SUD) in their community. This site visit came out of the report Cross-Sector Collaboration Between Law Enforcement, Courts, Child Welfare, and Schools to Address the Impact of Substance Use published in 2023 by SJI along with the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), that highlighted “eight key ingredients” to successful cross-sector collaboration across law enforcement, child welfare, courts, and schools. These eight keys were based on information gathered through a questionnaire and interviews with 12 different communities. Dayton, Ohio, was one of these communities and was chosen for this site visit to showcase their strong cross-sector relationships and programs that have successfully addressed SUD and positively impacted their larger community.

During the site visit, teams participated in several listening sessions to include panels comprised of representatives from the Dayton Police Department, East End Community Services, Wright State University, Dayton Fire Department, Family Treatment Court, Certified Peer Supporters, Montgomery County Public Health, Dayton Camp Mariposa, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Topics included a history of cross-sector collaboration to reduce the impact of SUD, incorporating peers with lived experience in post-overdose outreach, supporting families and children using the family treatment court model, research and evaluation, and key ingredients for successful cross-sector collaboration.

Attendees also had the opportunity to experience two of Dayton’s unique and successful programs first-hand. Conversations for Change (C4C) is a community event that takes place every other month to bring information about treatment and other resources to community members struggling with SUD. A C4C event typically includes a motivational speaker with lived experience, discussions about various relative topics, training and distribution of harm reduction methods, information about treatment, and other necessary recovery resources. Teams were able to attend one of these events while on the site visit. They also partnered with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Certified Peer Supporters, treatment providers, and other volunteers to go on a GROW (Get Recovery Options Working) Blitz. During the Blitz, attendees along with their assigned team went door to door in the community to provide resources, education, and linkage to services for anyone they encountered. 

 SJI, IIR, and Mtn Craft produced a video during the site visit to showcase the inspiring work Dayton-Montgomery County is doing to serve as a resource for communities across the country. This video is available on the COSSUP resource center at https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/fff92dae-06f3-4be5-9ad3-89906f07ccd8.

The 4^th Quarter Board Meeting was held on September 9, 2024, at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.  Members of the SJI Board, Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, and Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, were joined by Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Clerk of the Court of Appeals Julio Castillo, Executive Officer of the Courts Herbert Rousen, and other court staff.

SJI received seven grant applications requesting a total of $410,864 for the 4^th quarter of FY 2024.

The Board awarded one Project Grant to the Arizona Supreme Court to support the Arizona Legal Apprentice Program, which will provide an alternative pathway to licensure for individuals who score between 260 and 269 on the bar exam, with an overall goal of increasing the number of attorneys available to practice.  Participants will work under a qualified supervising attorney for two years in a rural area or public interest area.  Upon successful completion, participants will be fully admitted to the State Bar.

Three (3) Technical Assistance Grant applications were awarded: 1) the Superior Court of Riverside County, California, for a strategic planning project; 2) American University to further develop the National Judicial Network forum for human trafficking and the state courts; and, 3) the 6^th Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan to develop a strategic plan and improvement priorities.

Three (3) Curriculum Adaptation and Training Grants were awarded: 1) the American Judges Association for educational programming during the 2025 annual meeting; 2) the National College of Probate Judges to engage expert faculty for the 2024-2025 educational meetings; and, 3) the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California, to develop a comprehensive leadership academy to enable judges to develop the skills and abilities required to serve in leadership roles with the Court.

The next deadline for grant applications is November 1, 2024.

Funded by the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts, in partnership with Rulo Strategies LLC, launched the Rural Justice Collaborative (RJC) to showcase the strengths of rural communities and highlight the cross-sector collaboration that is a hallmark of rural justice systems. These strengths include strong professional networks, deep ties to the communities they serve, resiliency, and ingenuity. The Rural Justice Collaborative is guided by an advisory council of rural practitioners representing the judiciary, public safety, behavioral health, public health, child welfare, victim services and other stakeholder-focused justice systems. The advisory council guides the initiative and has focused initial efforts on advancing innovation, promoting collaboration, and raising awareness of rural justice system needs.

Access the PDF and read more here: RJC Digest – September 2024 (ruraljusticecollaborative.org)