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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Connecting Business and Technology As noted by Kofi Annan, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating.” Such a simple and powerful message! But how do you find the information you seek? Ah, there’s always a catch. While Google works well for… Read more »
Although a courthouse is the place where justice is served, it is also the place where people may experience high levels of stress or emotional upheaval. An individual may be dealing with a variety of traumatic experiences leading up to… Read more »
Close contact with trauma survivors is an element of employment that court employees experience regularly. However, most employees, and even court managers, give little thought to the effects this contact may have on their personal and professional lives. Until recently,… Read more »
In 2014 the Orange County Superior Court developed a request for proposal to identify a vendor to provide mass notification services. In late 2015 the court implemented a fully functioning mass notification system, called Court Alert. The court has eight… Read more »
Consider the recent focus on the need to change the manner in which courts deal with litigants. Examples include: new thinking on the use and role of fines, fees, and bail assessments; initiatives that change how courts handle cases (civil,… Read more »
It is time to improve the way we communicate information. In 2015 the Conference of State Court Administrators and the Conference of Chief Justices promulgated Joint Resolution #5, calling for the “aspirational goal of 100 percent access to effective assistance… Read more »
“My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.” —Thich Nhat Hanh Under the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution, a person accused in… Read more »
“Do what is right, not what is easy” —author unknown My typical day, like many court leaders, is spent transitioning from one important task to another while putting out unanticipated fires in between. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy… Read more »
My regular job duties provide me an opportunity to visit courthouses throughout my state. Some are looming and opulent. Some are quaint and unassuming. My favorite sites are those with beautiful stained-glass rotundas and grand staircases. When I visit clerks’… Read more »
So, you work for a court. It may be a small court with one judge in a rural city. It may be a large court with 60 judges in a major metropolitan city. The work seems to go far beyond… Read more »
Cherie Garofalo A Season of Firsts Cherie Garofalo is the deputy court executive officer in the Superior Court of California in San Bernardino. San Bernardino County has a population of 2.1 million people and is the largest county by geographic… Read more »
Over the years, I’ve had a number of court employees share their feelings about management. A recurring theme, often by those who have to clock in daily, has been resentment over performance evaluations by supervisors who do not perform the… Read more »
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