Category: News And Announcements

The National Association for Court Management’s (NACM) first-ever Virtual Education Program and Expo is underway and runs through October.  Earlier this summer, NACM’s leadership made the difficult decision to cancel their in-person annual meeting.

With nearly 40 sessions planned, NACM did not want the court professional community to miss out on the opportunity to receive this educational content. With the generous support of the State Justice Institute (SJI), they moved nearly all of the sessions online, to a 10-week free educational series offered each Thursday afternoon regardless of NACM membership. The series will consist of both live and recorded sessions, along with unique networking events and a virtual expo.

Now, more than ever, courts are CONNECTED.  As an institution, courts are part of the local, state, and national community.  As such, courts must be connected to their communities.  This necessitates that courts are part of the conversation on numerous important issues from substance abuse to mental health.  Courts must be involved on issues of reform, all the while working with other branches of government and their communities to ensure access to justice.

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) developed an innovative training curriculum and faculty guide – along with practical tools – to help state courts establish and manage business court dockets more efficiently and effectively.  The curriculum was developed as part of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Business Court Docket Pilot Project.

That project was established in 2015 to address complex corporate and commercial cases in a specialized manner.  In 2018, SJI awarded a grant to the Tennessee AOC and NCSC to develop and implement a training curriculum to help expand commercial dockets across the nation.

A wide variety of litigants have requested to transfer to the specialized docket ranging from large, multi-national companies, to small businesses, said Tennessee Administrative Director of the Courts Deborah Taylor Tate.  The specialized court docket has handled business topics ranging from contract interpretation, to corporate e-discovery, to “business divorces,” to trade secrets and intellectual property.   

 “In addition to assisting the business and corporate sector by providing a specialized docket to address complex business disputes, it also helps cases involving citizens of our state by inserting efficiencies into the system and allowing more time for cases on other dockets,” said Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins.

One of the main goals of business court dockets is to provide businesses with more predictable answers and expedite the resolution of disputes, saving time and money for litigants as well as the court system.  Feedback from litigant surveys has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants reporting a success rate of more than 90 percent.

Tate said the SJI grant allowed Tennessee – in cooperation with other business court judges – “to build on these successful strategies to create a blueprint for other states embarking on the creation of their own business court dockets…we hope this will become a regular way to share innovative ideas across state lines and across branches of government.”

In October 2019, the reconstituted Illinois Judicial Conference (IJC), comprised of 15 judicial officers and 14 non-judges and chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, unveiled an inaugural 3-year Strategic Agenda for the Illinois Judicial Branch.  Implementation commenced in December 2019.  Eight newly formed Task Forces along with several existing Committees/Commissions began working on 15 strategic initiatives identified as highest priorities for the first year of implementation.  The 15 initiatives span the Branch’s five strategic goals, which are:

• Accessible Justice and Equal Protection under the Law.
• Procedural Fairness, Timeliness, and Operational Efficiency.
• Professionalism and Accountability throughout the Judicial Branch.
• Understanding of and Confidence in the Judicial Branch.
• Sufficient Funding and Effective Use of Judicial Branch Resources.

Despite the disruption and hardships caused by the pandemic, the work of the Task Forces and Committees continues.  In June 2020, during a virtual IJC meeting, two Task Forces presented their completed reports and recommendations to the IJC.  The reports and recommendations were unanimously referred to the Supreme Court for review and appropriate action.

While these are indeed challenging times, it also is an exciting time for the Illinois Judicial Branch.  The many dedicated Task Force members and staff of the Administrative Office of the Courts continue to meet virtually, and are well on their way to accomplishing their respective initiatives amid the pandemic.

The Strategic Agenda and At-a-Glance Operational Plan (showing the list of strategic initiatives and Task Force/existing body assignments) is available online.

For more information, contact Alison Spanner, Director of Strategic Planning at aspanner@IllinoisCourts.gov or Chris Bonjean, Communications Director to the Illinois Supreme Court at 312.793.2323 or cbonjean@illinoiscourts.gov.

The SJI Board of Directors met virtually on June 29, 2020, to make decisions on quarterly grant applications, and approved two new grants to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Strategic Initiatives Grant was awarded to the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to support Phase I of the Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators (CCJ/COSCA) Post Pandemic Planning Initiative.  For this new initiative, the Pandemic Rapid Response Team (RRT) – a group of chief justices and state court administrators established in March 2020 by CCJ and COSCA, is creating a roadmap to help state courts move forward during the COVID-19 pandemic – and after it ends.  SJI provided initial emergency funding to launch the RRT.

The RRT is cataloging state court actions to address the pandemic.  Webinars that have already been conducted included discussions, presentations and focus on remote hearings, appellate court challenges, Family First Response to COVID-19, jury considerations, courthouse facility considerations, budget and finance issues, personnel issues, and others.  All webinars were taped, disseminated and remain available on the NCSC website for continuing education and reference. These archived pandemic webinars have been viewed over 9,500 times to date.  

The RRT established a series of working groups that will determine what courts have learned, how to resume court operations, and what they can do beyond to build a stronger judiciary.  The working groups are focusing six areas: 1) court management – criminal; 2) court management – civil; 3) court management – children, families, and elders; 4) appellate; 5) technology; and 6) communications.  Through this process, the RRT quickly recognized that courts would very soon need mid- and post-pandemic tools and deliverables to assist in all areas.  The RRT has developed a framework with a mission, the working groups, and an approach or deliverables called the Post-Pandemic Planning Initiative (PPPI).  Each working group includes CCJ and COSCA members, trial court judges and administrators, other court partners, an NCSC lead staff person for organization and coordination, and other NCSC topic experts to assist with the work plan development and final deliverables.  The working groups are tasked with identifying what the “new normal” is going to look like, and how to get there.

A Technical Assistance Grant was awarded: to the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) to provide judges and other legal professionals with expert assistance via webinar, podcasts, and other media that will address the issues of maintaining access to justice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  Like previous educational programs, NAWJ will use the expertise of its members and non-members to create these resources.

The next deadline for grant applications is August 1, 2020 (4^th Quarter FY 2020). 

SJI’s Funding Toolkit for State Courts and Justice System Partners is designed to support local courts, state courts, and their justice system partners as they pursue federal and philanthropic funding opportunities.

The toolkit has a new virtual learning section that features webinars and podcasts designed to aid applicants in the grant process. The inaugural podcast in the Court ¢ents series features Jonathan Mattiello, Executive Director of SJI, discussing SJI’s funding opportunities.

Or follow SJI on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and look for the Court ¢ents icon highlighting the latest posting. Send your funding and grant questions, as well as your ideas for topics to address with webinars and podcasts to fundingtoolkit@sji.gov.

The National Council of Family and Juvenile Court Judges (NCJFCJ) held the Second National Summit on Courts and Military-Connected Families September 23-24, 2019, at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The one-and-a-half-day Summit brought together members and staff of the military-related committees of the NCJFCJ, subject matter experts, representatives of national-level organizations that serve military-connected families, stakeholders with local and state government and nonprofit organizations, and members of the civilian and military communities of two demonstration sites selected for this SJI-funded project.  The Summit’s purpose was to advance the national discussion by those who engage with justice-involved service members, National Guard, Reserve, and veteran populations on how best to assist when they interface with juvenile and family courts.  The Summit was a focused and targeted “deep dive” into the realities of the information and practices needed to promote effective court/military systems communication and collaboration.  SJI Board Chair Chief Justice John Minton from Kentucky gave opening remarks. 

The Summit report is available on the NCJFJC website. 

In June 2020, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) released the latest version of the State of the State Courts Survey.  This survey revealed some interesting findings about appearing in courtrooms remotely during COVID-19:

• Two out of three people are receptive to appearing in courtrooms remotely—a significant increase from 2014, when only two out of five said they were receptive.
• Over half of all respondents cited at least one pandemic-related obstacle to reporting for in-person jury duty, such as serving as a primary caregiver to an elderly family member; an inability to secure childcare for an extended period; or living with someone who has an underlying health condition.
• At least 70 percent of respondents said they would be more comfortable in a courthouse if courts enforced social distancing, checked temperatures at the door, and required court employees and visitors to wear masks.
• Answering a question about whether respondents would be more comfortable serving on juries in person or remotely, 44 percent said remotely, 32 percent expressed no preference, and 23 percent said in person.

The survey includes additional resources:

• The pollster, GBAO Strategies, breaks down the survey into granular detail. Access the analysis here.
• Review the presentation slides, which dive into additional details including public trust in the courts and data collected on respondents’ access to technology tools.
• Watch the June 18, 2020 webinar featuring NCSC’s Jesse Rutledge, GBAO’s Karl Agne, David Slayton from the Texas Office of Court Administration and Nicole Zoe Garcia from the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County.

As 2020 began, the production of Trends in State Courts – the annual journal of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), was humming along.  As the year progressed, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests against systemic racism proved to be effective disrupters and led to a “stop-the-presses moment.”

This year’s edition opens with a series of statements on racial justice from six state supreme court chief justices, and follows with an introduction from NCSC President Mary McQueen that recognizes how the turmoil in the world is affecting the courts.  Trends then highlights the work NCSC has done to inform the courts, including maps that show how state courts nationwide have reacted to pandemic-related challenges.

The maps lead to the first article, Leading During the Chaos of a Pandemic, by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht and David Slayton, Administrative Director of Texas’ Office of Court Administration.  In addition to the pandemic, the state courts in Texas also had to deal with a cyberattack.

 “Our training has taught us to gather information, analyze it, propose and refine a solution, and implement— sometimes over months or years,” Chief Justice Hecht and Slayton wrote. “The chaos of the pandemic and the cyberattack have not fit well within that mold. In fact, during the challenges of recent days, the information sometimes changes hourly or by the minute.  We were faced with making decisions without all the information, but the alternative was to delay a decision—a delay that could cost lives or cause further damage.  Rather than being paralyzed with inaction due to fear of making a mistake, court leaders must act without fear.”

This year’s 96-page edition of Trends includes a diverse slate of stories:

• On Demand: Transforming Virtual Remote Interpreting
• Access Empowers: How ODR Increased Participation and Positive Outcomes in Ohio
• The Family Justice Initiative: A Work in Progress
• So, this is 50: The Gray Divorcees
• State Courts’ Responsibility to Convene, Collaborate and Identify Individuals Across Systems
• What Will Shape the Future of Courthouse Design?
• When the Law and a Judge’s Personal Opinions Collide

On March 30, 2020, the Boards of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) took action to establish a new Task Force to assist state courts in their efforts to more effectively respond to the needs of court-involved individuals with serious mental illness.

The Task Force will build on the previous work of the NCSC National Advisory Committee, supported by SJI.

The Co-chairs of the Task Force are Chief Justice Paul L. Reiber (VT) and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks (NY).  In addition to Chief Justice Reiber and Judge Marks, the task force’s Executive Committee includes:

• Arizona Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel
• Connecticut Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson
• Indiana Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush
• Oregon State Court Administrator Nancy Cozine
• South Carolina State Court Administrator Tonnya K. Kohn
• Illinois State Court Administrator Marcia M. Meis

During the first meeting of the Executive Committee, the structure and governance of the Task Force were adopted and additional financial support from SJI was also announced.  The Committee received a transition report, The Future is Now: Decriminalization of Mental Illness from the former National Advisory Committee.  

The report established the process leading to the adoption of an aggressive agenda of the work and activities to be undertaken over the next thirty months, based on the following principles:A community by community approach, supported by statewide leadership from all three branches of government, is required to improve the justice system response to those with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

Supporting judicial leadership to implement the Sequential Intercept Model to promote early access to treatment for mental illness and co-occurring disorders, and to keep individuals from continuing to penetrate the justice system.

Developing best practices, research, and data to improve justice system responses including competency delays, civil commitment, assisted outpatient treatment practices, deflection and diversion, caseflow management practices involving those with mental illness and co-occurring disorders, and other strategies to improve our responses.

Promoting education and training for judges and court personnel to improve our capacity to lead change in our states and communities, and to understand mental illness and co-occurring disorders and their impact on court proceedings.

Carrying forward the important work started by the CCJ-COSCA National Judicial Opioid Task Force (NJOTF).

Additional information about the work of the Task Force, and resources for courts on behavioral health issues can be found at https://www.ncsc.org/mentalhealth.

The Family Justice Initiative (FJI) sets forth a model that draws upon data-informed strategies to assist the resolution of family matters. Through screening and assessment tools, and triage case management, judges and court staff can better identify cases that require substantial court-based or community services, and cases requiring minimal court resources and little or no exercise of judicial discretion.

During its February 2019 midyear meeting, the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) endorsed the FJI Principles, and encouraged courts across the nation to consider them as a worthy guide to improve the delivery of justice in domestic relations cases.

With SJI support, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and partners contributed to the creation of  protocols and templates that can be adapted for use in any jurisdiction seeking to apply a triage and/or pathways approach.  The FJI: Protocol Development and Appendices is a resource to aid courts using a practical, six-step process, which assures standardization during triage and flexibility in case management.

Contact NCSC Principal Court Management Consultant Alicia Davis at adavis@ncsc.org  if you have questions about the FJI protocols, need additional information, or more extensive on-site technical assistance.