NEWS RELEASE
The National
Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525 or lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
National
Center’s Web Site Makes Top 10 List
Williamsburg, VA (July 17, 2003) – The National Center for State Courts’ Web site was named as one of 2003’s Top 10 Court Websites by a national organization of court consultants. Justice Served selected the National Center’s Website No. 2 out of more than 900 national and international court-related Web sites. The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara was named No. 1.
In presenting the award, which has been given annually since 1999, Chris Crawford, president of Justice Served, said the National Center’s site was selected for its “rich Web content” and for its growth “into a full-fledged court information portal for all things related to judicial administration.” The National Center’s Web site can be found at www.ncsconline.org. To check out Justice Served’s Top 10 List, click on www.justiceserved.com.
“This
award carries special meaning to the National Center,” said Linda
Caviness, the Center’s executive director of Strategic Development who
led a Center-wide effort to redesign the Web site. “In this new era of
information sharing and knowledge management everyone at the Center
recognized the importance of creating a Web site that is informative,
easy to use, and that delivers the most up-to-date information to state
courts across the country.”
Two years ago, the National Center launched an extensive redesign of its Web site to broaden its content and to create a single point of entry to information sources. Today, the National Center’s Web site has more than 100 topics grouped in 18 main subject areas, such as juvenile and family violence, juries, court budgeting, court security, civil litigation and more. The Web site is updated regularly to include the latest research, information, conferences and educational opportunities. The Web site continues to provide its established links, which include: Survey of Judicial Salaries, Court Interpreting, Court Statistics, the Annual Report on Trends in State Courts and Science, Technology and Law.
In addition, the National Center has established a new Court Information Portal that provides a single point of access for court-related information, regardless of where that information resides. This portal links the National Center’s Web site with local courts, state judiciaries, court-related organizations, and other court-related sites, such as the federal Department of Justice.
The National Center for State Courts is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 with the encouragement of Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides leadership, research, technology, education, and training to the state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established the Civil Justice Reform Initiative, which is a multi-year project that will examine the most efficient practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved through the use of technology. Other national initiatives being driven by the National Center include improving public trust and confidence in the courts, pro se litigation, and the judicial selection process.
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