NEWS RELEASE
www.ncsconline.org

Contact: 
Lorri Montgomery
Director of Communications
National Center for State Courts
Williamsburg, VA
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us

Chief of Maryland Courts named to leadership of national 
judicial organization and state court reform organization

Williamsburg, VA (August 11, 2006) – Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of Maryland has been named Chair of the National Center for State Courts’ Board of Directors. At the same time, Chief Judge Bell also was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ). The new leadership positions became effective recently during the annual meeting of CCJ and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Chief Judge Bell has worked closely with the National Center for years, and we are honored that he has moved into a leadership position” said NCSC President Mary C.  McQueen.  “As a leader in the legal community, Chief Judge Bell has made a significant and positive impact on the Maryland court system and his knowledge and experience are invaluable to the National Center. He cares deeply about the importance of the work of America’s state courts and the mission of the National Center as the preeminent national court reform organization.”

The NCSC Board meets in conjunction with the annual meeting of the CCJ/COSCA, which was held July 30-August 2.  During the meeting, J.D. Gingerich, Arkansas state court director, was named vice chair of the NCSC Board and the new president of COSCA.   

Chief Judge Bell has served as a judge on the Maryland bench for more than 30 years and is one of only two judges on the Court of Appeals’ bench to have served on all four court levels. In 1996 Bell was designated as the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, making him the first African-American to be named the state’s chief jurist.

Bell has also been the recipient of several awards, including the Legal Excellence Award for Advancement of Public Service Responsibility from the Maryland Bar Foundation, the MD Network Against Domestic Violence Special Recognition Award, the Maryland Leadership in Law Award and the MD Legal Services Corporation Medal for Access to Justice.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, VA, is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts.  The National Center, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system, such as improving judicial selection, reforming the foster care system, increasing citizen participation in jury service, and how complex litigation can be improved. 

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National Center for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA  23185-4147