If you are entrusted with bringing about change, you likely possess the knowledge needed to advance the organization, and you might have a plan—but knowledge is not enough. You have to bring yourself to each interaction in a deeply authentic… Read more »
Posts By: Marcus W. Reinkensmeyer & Raymond L. Billotte
What to Do if You Don’t Have a Court PIO
As court leaders, it is not uncommon for many of us to have had dealings with the media relating to court operations, from questions as innocuous as the date and time of a hearing to more complicated inquiries as to… Read more »
CORE® Champion—The View from the Finish Line
As a NACM member, you can access an incredible resource in the CORE®. This curriculum has been honed and is regularly updated by NACM’s CORE® Committee to ensure the content remains relevant. The purpose of the CORE® Champion Program is… Read more »
Behold the NACM Roadmap!
NACM was created in 1985 and currently serves over 1,700 members. NACM prides itself and is known for the development of court professionals through training at midyear and annual conferences, educational podcasts and webinars, a variety of publications, social media,… Read more »
President’s Message
As we step into the new year, we are reminded of the power of renewal—the opportunity to reflect on our journey and embrace the potential for growth. The past year has been filled with challenges, but also with remarkable accomplishments…. Read more »
Management Musings
Isaac Newton’s “law of work” is a concept derived from his second law of motion, expressed as: Work (W) = Force (F) x Distance (d), or W = Fd. The idea proposes that work is equal to the application of… Read more »
A Questions of Ethics
Data Analytics: Data, Courts, and Ethics November 21, 2024, A Question of Ethics Conversation Episode Copilot describes data literacy as understanding, interpreting, and using data effectively. It involves knowing how to read charts and graphs, understanding statistics, and being able… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Jeff ChappleCourt Administrator O’Fallon (Missouri) Municipal CourtLake St. Louis and Weldon Spring (Missouri) on contract2 JudgesNACM Member since 2013NACM Board of Directors Member for three terms (2015-2018, 2019-2022, 2024-present) What do you consider your greatest challenge as a court administrator?My… Read more »
President’s Message
Dear NACM Members, It was great to see those who attended the Annual Conference in person in San Diego. This fantastic conference provided a relevant educational curriculum and resources, which were even made accessible to those who could only attend… Read more »
Editor’s Notes
Charlene Watkins Dear Reader, I find myself wearing my mask more often when I’m out, given the new COVID-19 variant on the rise. Managing current changes within our workplace requires understanding that the shift toward “normal” may be temporary, delayed,… Read more »
Courtside Conversations
Amanda Marshall
Amanda Marshall Title, Court: Public Outreach/Law Library Director, Superior Court of Cobb County Number of judges at court: 10 superior court judges NACM member since 2006 You served as the Chair of the NACM Media Guide Committee. What did that… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
Courts, Testing, and Vaccinations What Will Your Court Decide? A Video Conversation on Courts and Ethics The coronavirus has hamstrung our nation’s courts since March 2020. 2021 offers hope that we may soon return to our normal lives, but it… Read more »
Stop Screaming into a Void
It didn’t take long to figure out that a lot of the organizing and engagement that resulted in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol had its roots online through social media platforms—some niche, others very mainstream. The horrifying… Read more »
Professional Development in Court Administration: How Can We Do Better?
Having previously considered the difficulties most courts have in achieving and sustaining high performance and the ways to realistically approach performance improvements, we now focus on building human capital. Developing the individual and collective competencies of those who work in… Read more »
Management Musings
In ancient Rome, public wrestling and sport contests were held in places called palestras, where the phrase “Strip or Retire” (compete or quit), was etched into the stone overhead. Athletes competed in the nude because the Romans believed that if… Read more »
COVID-19 and Caseflow Management—Catastrophe or Catalyst?
COVID-19 and Court Reponses The novel coronavirus created many changes in court operations. A variety of sources have observed operational responses taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A sampling of the changes is noted below. The Hague Institute for Innovation… Read more »
How Fair Is Your Court?
How fair is your court? Take a moment to think about it before you read on. My guess is that most court professionals would be inclined to answer, “Pretty fair!” After all, you know the hard work and good intentions… Read more »
Courts Have a Significant Role to Play in the Whole-of-Government Approach (WGA) to Our Safety and Security*
Courts must get ready for a riskier world today. We and, therefore, they face unprecedented threats to our safety, security, and welfare, including natural disasters, pandemics, terrorist attacks, biological and chemical attacks, and cyberattacks by increasingly sophisticated adversaries using not… Read more »
The High Performance Challenge: Concepts and a Call to Action
The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. In judicial administration, we recognize the significant growth in our knowledge of what constitutes high performance and the operational improvements that technology has made possible. Nevertheless, courts still… Read more »
The High Performance Challenge—Courts’ Experiences with the High Performance Court Framework
The field of court administration has learned much about the policies, practices, and technologies that characterize high performance. Nevertheless, courts continue to struggle with improvement, and we have speculated that the difficulty may lie in not knowing how to go… Read more »