Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Director of Communications
National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
Mongolia's
Chief Justice Receives
Top Award from National Court Organization
Williamsburg,
VA (April 11, 2007) – Chief
Justice Sodnomdarjaa Batdelger of the Supreme Court of Mongolia is the
recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest
awards presented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The
Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a person who has
made longstanding contributions to the improvement of the justice system
and who has supported the mission of the National Center.
Robert
Baldwin, NCSC vice president and general counsel, recently presented
Chief Justice Batdelger the award during a banquet at The Rule of Law
Conference held at the University of Richmond School of Law in
Richmond, Va. “As a leader in the Mongolian judiciary, Chief
Justice Batdelger cares deeply about the importance of the work of his
country’s justice system and the mission of the National Center as an
international court reform organization,” Baldwin said. The Rule of
Law Conference was part of a series on Foundations and Future of
Democracy being held in commemoration of the 400th
anniversary of Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. The Lord Chief Justice
Nicholas Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Chief Justice of England and
Wales, and U.S. Justice Stephen Breyer were among those attending the
banquet.
Chief
Justice Batdelger has a proven record of dedication to the justice
system and has worked diligently to improve the Mongolian public’s
confidence in the judiciary, Baldwin said. He has played an important
part in Mongolia’s judicial reform efforts since the country adopted
its democratic constitution in 1991, implementing far-reaching changes
that enhanced the independence and integrity of the Mongolian judiciary.
After a year-long strategic planning effort supported by the NCSC, Chief
Justice Batdelger presented a comprehensive judicial reform plan to the
Mongolian government that was ratified in 2000, setting the stage for
further reform of the country’s court system.
The
National Center for State Courts, founded in 1971 by Chief Justice of
the United States Warren E. Burger, is a non-profit organization
dedicated to improving the administration of justice and 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, The National Center is
working to improve public trust and confidence in the courts, reform the
judicial selection process, develop a model policy on public access to
court records, and to improve pro se litigation. The National Center is
headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., and has offices in Washington, D.C.
and Denver, Colo.
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National
Center
for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg,
VA
23185-4147
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