The FY 2025 2nd Quarter SJI Board Meeting was held this week on Monday, April 7th, 2025, at the Supreme Court of Indiana, in Indianapolis, IN. SJI Executive Director, Jonathan Mattiello, Senior Program Advisor, Michelle White, and members of the SJI Board were joined by Chief Justice Loretta Rush, of the Supreme Court of Indiana.
#SJIBoardofDirectors #SJIBoard #StateJusticeInstitute #BoardMeeting #SupremeCourtofIndiana
On June 18th-20th, 2025, in vibrant San Diego (La Jolla), CA, the Transformation of Youth Justice Symposium will provide unique opportunities to learn, connect, and contribute to the nationwide momentum improving outcomes for children, families, and communities through enhanced youth justice system approaches and practices. Hosted by the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice, this engaging 2.5-day event is designed to empower multi-disciplinary professionals and youth-serving stakeholders committed to advancing effective and innovative system change. Plenaries, workshops, and interactive sessions will spotlight research-informed and evidence-based reforms that are measurable, sustainable, and replicable in any community. With an emphasis on peer learning and dynamic interaction, attendees will network with distinguished experts, prominent state and local leaders, and colleagues who have championed innovative policy and practice changes. The event will also amplify the voices of advocates with lived experience and showcase emerging leaders driving change in youth justice.
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this important movement! Learn more and register today at: www.rfknrcjj.org
When? Wednesday, April 16th at 1:00PM EST.
Courts are now exploring options to leverage #artificialintelligence (AI) to enhance operations and support staff. Join us for the latest session in our AI and the Courts webinar series, featuring a discussion of real-world applications of AI tools.
This webinar will discuss #evidentiary issues raised by #AI. While fabricated evidence is not a new problem in state courts, the accessibility of AI has made it easier to enhance, alter, or create evidence. Such evidence may take two forms: one where all parties agree that AI has been used in the production of evidence, such as enhancement of a photo or audio (acknowledged AI-generated evidence); and a second where AI has been used, or is alleged to have been used, without disclosure and with an intention to mislead (unacknowledged AI-generated evidence).
Join the National Center for State Courts on Wednesday, April 16th at 1:00PM EST for this informative session.
For survivors of domestic violence, obtaining a protection order can be daunting. Fear, confusion, limited resources, and the ongoing threat posed by their abusers often prevent individuals from seeking help through the court system.
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) is working to improve the civil protection order process by making it more accessible, efficient, and fair using secure, user-friendly virtual portals with support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.
“Survivors needing protection shouldn’t have to navigate a complex or intimidating process,” said Sarah Vandenberg Van Zee, NCSC court management consultant and project manager. “Through this project, we’re developing national guidance to enhance virtual court portal technology to uphold safety, accessibility, and due process in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.”
Learning collaborative
This project brings together a learning collaborative that includes technologists, access-to-justice leaders, and experienced courts from Arizona, Kansas, and Indiana that have successfully implemented innovative e-filing and portal systems.
Vandenberg Van Zee explained that portals can do more than facilitate document filing; they can also serve as centralized platforms where all parties can complete necessary tasks, access resources, and receive timely case updates.
Seeking pilot courts
To further develop and refine best practices for portal technology, NCSC is seeking learner courts—jurisdictions interested in piloting the recommended guidance established by this project—to join the learning collaborative.
Selected courts will receive hands-on technical assistance to implement or enhance court portal technology to:
For more information: Civil Protection Order Portal Technical Assistance Project | VAWA
Read the full article here: Civil protection order portal project aims to improve process for survivors of domestic violence | NCSC
A new report, Preserving the Future of Juries and Jury Trials, offers strategies to combat these critical challenges that threaten the existence and legitimacy of our jury system while also suggesting strategic solutions to preserve its future.
“We need to take action, or we risk losing a living component of justice,” warns Paula Hannaford-Agor, director of NCSC’s Center for Jury Studies. “This report is a starting point for continued conversations about where we need to go to strengthen jury trials.”
The report identifies four key vulnerabilities and outlines a plan to preserve and improve the jury system:
Access the report here: Preserving the Future of Juries and Jury Trials
As it gears up to finalize recommendations, the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators (CCJ/COSCA) Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR) held a National Convening on the Future of Legal Education and Admissions last week at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The convening was in partnership with the American Bar Association (ABA) Council on Legal Education and Admissions, the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), AccessLex Institute, the Law School Admission Council, the Law School Survey of Student Engagement, the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and the National Association of Law Placement.
CLEAR background
Established by an August 2023 joint resolution of CCJ/COSCA, CLEAR has a broad mandate to assess the current state of legal education, define standards for minimum competence to practice law and the skills necessary to be practice-ready upon graduation, and identify ways to prepare and incentivize public interest lawyering.
The March 14 national convening brought together a diverse array of stakeholders from law school deans, bar educators, bar admissions, the courts, and the practicing bar to tackle the evolving challenges confronting the legal profession and to brainstorm innovative solutions for legal education and bar admissions.
Read the full article from NCSC here: Stakeholders gather to map future of legal education | NCSC
#UpcomingWebinar! Leading Change in Trial Courts – Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, at 3:00PM EST.
For more information and to register: Webinar Registration – Zoom
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.
The SJI Board of Directors will be meeting on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET. The purpose of this meeting is to consider grant applications for the 2nd quarter of FY 2025, and other business.
ADDRESS: Indiana Supreme Court, 200 W Washington St. Indianapolis, IN.
The Center for Justice Innovation, with funding from the State Justice Institute, is leading the development of the Trauma-Informed Practice Strategy Lab for Criminal Courts (TIPS Lab). The TIPS Lab aims to bridge the gap between training and implementation of trauma-informed practices in criminal courts. The TIPS Lab has developed a comprehensive Blueprint to address the urgent need for trauma-informed practices within the criminal court system. See attached for an Executive Summary of the forthcoming Blueprint.
The Center is currently offering no-cost, actionable training and technical assistance to select criminal courts to implement trauma-informed practices identified in the TIPS Lab Blueprint. Center staff will guide criminal court administrators, judges, and other partners as they prioritize, plan, and implement trauma-informed practices. Please complete this brief application to be considered for selection as an incubator site and receiving no-cost training and technical assistance: https://form.jotform.com/250224144518045
For more information, contact Alejandra Garcia at garciaa@innovatingjustice.org.