Those of us committed to court administration recognize that the strength of this profession is directly linked to men and women with the vision and commitment not only to advance the profession, but also to develop and support others along… Read more »
Posts By: Nina Thomas
A Lookback at the 2018 NACM Annual Conference
Editor’s Note: We hope you enjoy looking back at the NACM 2018 Annual Conference in Atlanta. You can find more photos of the conference on our website and on flickr. Videos of our education sessions can be watched on YouTube…. Read more »
Improving Public Confidence in the Court
Courthouses are typically dignified, formal places, often with armed guards and security equipment at the entrances. Judges wear robes and sit behind raised benches to convey their authority. The judicial branch is responsible for adhering to constitutionally and statutorily mandated… Read more »
Adjudicating in an Unsecured Workplace: How to Assess and Stay Safe
Editor’s Note: This article was published in the Judges’ Journal, volume 57, number 2, spring 2018. © 2018 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or… Read more »
How to Stay Calm in Times of Stress
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Melissa Eisler’s Mindful Minutes, a blog about how to live a mindful life, despite having a demanding schedule. Have you ever had a short fuse, overreacted, or lost your cool in a stressful… Read more »
President’s Message
As new demands, challenges, and opportunities are presented within our court systems, we are reminded of the importance of effective partnerships. Now, more than ever, multi-organizational partnerships are an important means to develop and deliver needed programs and services. The… Read more »
Editor’s Note
Last fall, I purchased a fixer-upper that looked and smelled like 1962. It’s a quaint little four-split with angled wood beams in the great room. I saw so much potential I hit the ground running with a sledgehammer in one… Read more »
Early Career Professionals
Danna Quinn, director of human resources for the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County, is retiring after a career of over 32 years with the branch. We sat down together to reflect for a bit on her career journey… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Adrienne Eagan
Adrienne Eagan Adrienne Eagan is a court researcher in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The court has ten appointed judges. She joined NACM in 2018. How did you get started in court administration? After graduation, I began… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
By now, social media is a staple of American life. Don’t have a Facebook page, avoid a Twitter account, or stay away from Snapchat, and you are isolated as the world races by. For court professionals, this poses a particularly… Read more »
IJIS Exchange
Automation and Integration Support Pretrial Reform A COLUMN DEDICATED TO THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS ON INFORMATION SHARING IN JUSTICE Sue Humphreys, IJIS Courts Advisory Committee, Vice Chair In August 2018, California became the first state to legislate the elimination of… Read more »
Management Musings
Lee Jun-fan, better known as Bruce Lee, was a martial arts instructor and founder of the Jeet Kune Do (JKD) art form. Many consider Lee to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and his work… Read more »
“If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”
The ordinary administration of criminal and civil justice . . . contributes, more than any other circumstance, to impressing upon the minds of the people affection, esteem, and reverence towards the government. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 17, in Clinton Rossiter… Read more »
Purposes of Courts Reformulated
In the winter 2016 edition of the Court Manager, Kent Batty challenged us to a discussion of Ernie Friesen’s classic “Purposes of Courts.”1 In light of the evolving role of courts, it is indeed time that these Purposes be reviewed… Read more »
President’s Message
The 2018 annual conference in Atlanta is just around the corner, and the Education Committee has been busy putting together an outstanding education program and conference experience. With the conference upon us, it also means that it will be time… Read more »
Editor’s Notes
Ever since the 2018 NACM Midyear Conference in sunny Orange County, California, I’ve been bragging about my growing hippocampus. Allow me to explain. The conference focused on mindfulness, taking care of ourselves so we can become better leaders and managers,… Read more »
Courtside Conversation
Jame Carney
Interview conducted and edited by Matthew Kleiman & Taylor Allison Editor’s note: Courtside Conversation has always highlighted court administrators, focusing on their backgrounds, their management styles, and their relationships with judges and other administrative staff. This one is different. In… Read more »
Early Career Professionals
Distracted, indecisive, selfish, disruptive, entitled, impatient, entrepreneurial: traits not typically solicited in a court administration job posting. Yet these traits are often associated with Millennials, the generation occupying and applying for the majority of jobs in courts worldwide. Each year,… Read more »
A Question of Ethics
Despite years of debate, accepting gifts is still one of the most challenging topics in court ethics. Many stand adamantly against court personnel accepting gifts under any circumstances; others worry that taking such an unflinching stand harms employee morale and… Read more »
Management Musings
In his book The Gap: The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals, Thomas Suddendorf studies the six traits that separate us from other species — language, mental time travel, theory of mind, intelligence, culture, and morality. Suddendorf argues… Read more »