Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Director of Communications
National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
State Court Leaders Examine Their Role in Supporting
Public Policy
That Affects the Administration of Justice
Williamsburg, Va. (May 15, 2008) – More than 60 state Supreme Court chief justices and state court administrators met in Philadelphia last week to discuss what role they should play in supporting and reforming public policy that affects the administration of justice. During the two-day conference, state court leaders identified guardianship of elders, immigration, and the home foreclosure crisis as among the top emerging issues facing society and the courts that will require their leadership as public policies are developed.
The conference, co-sponsored by the Pew Center on the States and the National Center for State Courts, highlighted the importance of bringing state court leaders together with legislators and representatives of state agencies to support public policy that best protects and benefits the public. Attendees included members of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA).
In recent years, many court leaders have worked together with Social Services and government representatives on issues such as sentencing reform, the protection of children, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Results have been positive, court leaders report. For example, by working closely with social services officials, New York Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye said her state has experienced an increase in the number of adoptions and a decrease in the number of children in foster care.
“By forging these vital partnerships in New York, we have made changes that we simply could never have accomplished alone,” Chief Judge Kaye said. “I don’t see myself as making policy, or treading on someone else’s turf. Rather, I see myself, as Chief Judge, simply attempting to address – intelligently – the problems that have been deposited on our doorstep. Or, to put it another way, I see these initiatives as judicial leadership.”
As a result of the conference, participants will present these findings to the full CCJ and COSCA membership to consider as possible initiatives and to include in future CCJ/COSCA education sessions, and they will take what they learned back to their states to implement changes locally. The Pew Center on the States will consider future programs based on the conference’s findings.
The Pew Center on the States (PCS) works to advance state policies that serve the public interest. PCS conducts research, brings together diverse perspectives, and analyzes states’ experiences to determine what works and what does not. PCS works with a variety of partners to identify and advance nonpartisan, solutions for problems affecting the public.
The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The NCSC, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.
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National
Center
for State Courts, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg,
VA
23185-4147 |
