Introduction The senseless 2015 ambush of Travis County Judge Julie Kocurek — stalked and shot after an attacker lured her son into moving a car — underscores how local security failures can have catastrophic consequences. A tip that the assailant… Read more »
I’ve spent a good part of my career working on courthouses — some of the most complex, high-stakes public buildings you can design. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that trust isn’t something you can draw into a set… Read more »
As 2025 drew to a close, NACM’s End-of-Year Giving Campaign sought to bring the court community together around the shared commitment of empowering court professionals and strengthening the future of court leadership. Gifts made as part of this campaign directly support… Read more »
The term “high-profile trial,” as most court professionals use it, seems a bit understated in the modern context. It fails to convey the attention, pressure, and chaos that is unleashed when a court finds itself at the center of a case… Read more »
Court staff are our most important resource, and their performance is at the heart of all court work. In this article, I explore how to create a high-performance work culture and environment by transforming traditional, backward-looking performance management into practices… Read more »
In my remarks at the Annual Conference in July, I shared my journey into NACM — starting with my first conference, when I wasn’t sure where I fit in, to finding my people, joining committees, and eventually serving on the… Read more »
Across America, many communities are in what scholars call “legal deserts,” areas with few, if any, available attorneys to meet the legal needs of local citizens. Rural towns and poor urban neighborhoods often lack affordable access to lawyers, leaving residents… Read more »
The biopic “A Complete Unknown” explores the early career of Bob Dylan as played by Timothée Chalamet. Apart from Dylan’s life and music, the film walks the audience through a period of American history between 1961 and 1965. One of… Read more »
Timothy EzellChief Operations Officer & Chief Deputy Clerk Atlanta Judicial Circuit (Fulton County, Georgia)20 Superior Court & 30 Magistrate JudgesNACM member since 2013 What interested you in a career in court management?I was drawn to court management because of the… Read more »
A stubborn myth is undermining court efficiency: that people miss court because they don’t respect the process or don’t think it’s important. But ample research now tells a different story. People miss court because life is messy — and remembering… Read more »
The ambivalence between wanting strong teams and dreading team-building activities is something any team leader will immediately recognize. Walk into any break room and mention “team building,” and you are likely to see a collective eye roll from staff who… Read more »
Introduction Professional development is the continuous process of learning and upskilling that enables people to adapt to changing environments, take on new responsibilities, lead more effectively, and grow in their careers. In the courts, professional development carries a particular importance… Read more »
Fall is considered by some to be the best time of year for a reset — setting new routines, clarifying goals, and building momentum before the new year. In this issue, we focus our attention on an aspect of the… Read more »
1985–2025 Our History: A Snapshot of NACM’s Milestones and Innovations First Ten Years: 1985–1995 The National Association for Court Management (NACM) was formed following the merger of the National Association for Court Administration (NACA) and the National Association of Trial… Read more »
Hello, everyone, and Happy Spring! I cannot believe my year as President is already winding down. I’ve been very honored to serve in this capacity during the celebration of NACM’s 40th anniversary. But this message is not about me; I… Read more »
It is a Thursday in courtroom 6D at the Franklin County Municipal Court. This is not my normal courtroom where I typically preside over a daily docket filled with traffic and criminal misdemeanors. This sacred space is for CATCH Court,… Read more »
Winston Churchill’s contemporary Clement Attlee, the leader of the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom, was humble almost to a fault. In some instances, Attlee’s humility was used against him, who was described by Churchill as a “modest man, a… Read more »
As public institutions face unprecedented scrutiny, courthouses have emerged as critical symbols of government accountability — or its absence. Aging, confusing, and often oppressive in their layout and function, many of today’s justice facilities send an unintended message: This system… Read more »
Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape the judicial system. AI-powered tools, from legal research assistants to sentencing algorithms and customer service chatbots, offer efficiency but also introduce risks, particularly bias. Additionally, the confidentiality of court records and legal proceedings… Read more »
Over the past month, I have had the same reaction to several videos I have seen on the Internet: “Is this real or is this AI?” I know that I am not alone in this thought process based on the… Read more »
© 2026 NACM – Court Manager; printed in the United States. Court Manager is published quarterly by the National Association for Court Management. Opinions expressed and procedures explained in the articles are not necessarily those of NACM or of the National Center for State Courts. Publication of advertising in the Court Manager does not imply NACM or NCSC endorsement or approval of the product or service. The association encourages submission of material that will interest or benefi t its members. Address correspondence to either the editor or the managing editor; inquiries about advertising should be directed to the managing editor. All rights are reserved to reject, condense, or edit any article or advertisement submitted for publication.