L.A. Courthouses Crumble With 'Run to Failure' Maintenance
Water valves burst at the Compton Courthouse in Los Angeles on New Year's weekend 2024, quietly flooding the elevators, stairwells, and a jury room. The valves broke again over the last weekend of January, triggering the second major flood in a month. The state legislature only grants funding for a few new courthouses a year, when money isn't tight. As the legal system modernizes, construction plans should too, according to Shay Cleary, a managing director for the National Center for State Courts. Changes could include building smaller courthouses that use technology more efficiently, or regionalizing some court functions based on data.
Why Philadelphia Is Bucking a Nationwide Surge in Evictions
Thousands of Philadelphia renters have been spared from eviction through a relatively new process known as eviction diversion. Advocates say taking steps to limit evictions has become more necessary as rental markets get tighter and more expensive. The National Center for State Courts, a nonprofit research organization, runs a grant program for 22 court systems with diversion programs. At most of these courts, fewer renters are receiving final judgments of evictions than were before using diversion, the group said, pointing to a reduction in housing insecurity.
Eviction Diversion Program in Las Vegas helps seniors, disabled stay housed
The revamped Eviction Diversion Program in Las Vegas Justice Court has a mission to help seniors, the disabled, and the most vulnerable Valley residents stay housed. "It makes the landlords whole while keeping tenants with a roof over their head. All in all, it provides stability for landlords and the tenant," said consumer attorney Christine Miller. The program was made possible by a $1.25 million grant from the National Center for State Courts.
Building a court 'triage' line: One court's lessons in tech development
By providing a new way to traverse the court system, Judge Keven O'Grady's court not only has engendered higher satisfaction for family law litigants but has created a vital data repository that can aid the court in identifying key issues to confront future projects. Judge OGrady partnered with the National Center for State Courts to develop a "triage" system that seeks to sort family law litigants into three categories to help courts spend their time on cases where time needs to be spent.
Texas judges, prosecutors back Cornyn bill to improve security for local judiciaries
Travis County District Judge Julie Kocurek was among the officials who participated in a roundtable hosted by the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law . Panelists discussed legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn that would allocate funding to establish a resource center to monitor threats and provide training for judges and staff at state and local courts. Jessica Nickel, a consultant for the nonprofit National Center for State Courts, said attacks and threats against members of the federal judiciary have been on the rise.
Jury Trials Dwindle In State Court; Fall Started Before COVID
Jury trials have continued to "vanish" from state courts, despite seeing a slight bump following the pandemic shutdowns, with 2021 seeing fewer than half the number of jury trials as 2019 and one-third the number held in 2007, according to a new report from the National Center for State Courts.
Judges gain from U.S. exposure trip
Representatives from the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the Philippine Judges Academy visited the National Center for State Courts to take part in court management and court administration discussions. The Philippine delegation attended seminars and conducted open discussions with NCSC and representatives of state and federal courts that enabled the delegation to gain first-hand knowledge about the process of decentralizing court services as well as developing an efficient and responsive court management system.
How Courts Can Use Generative AI To Help Pro Se Litigants
While AI tools can help pro se litigants more easily navigate legal issues, courts face challenges when implementing generative AI, including lack of funding and in-house technological talent, data security and privacy concerns, and the tendency for generative AI models to output false information. Zach Zarnow, deputy managing director of the National Center for State Courts' access to justice team, said, "Being very thoughtful about your vendor relationships and contracting and procurement can be really important to making sure that at the very least, everybody understands the respective roles and responsibilities and that the data ownership and usage is defined."
United States & Barbados Partner To Improve Court System Efficiency
The United States government, in collaboration with the Barbados judiciary, has announced the launch of a pilot Court Case Management System. Developed and implemented by the National Center for State Courts, this innovative system marks a significant step forward in modernizing Barbados' judicial administration and enhancing regional security. The electronic case management system in the Magistrates Courts in Barbados will align Barbados with international and regional best practices and increase the ability of its courts to meet future challenges.
Judicial Leaders Praise Federal Bill to Protect State Judges
National court leaders, including the National Center for State Courts, praised the introduction of new legislation in the United States Congress designed to help state courts address escalating threats of violence against judges, court staff, and the public. The legislation comes on the heels of a surge in both threats and actual acts of violence against judges across America.
Rapid Response Team Helps State Courts Navigate AI
A team of state court administrators and chief justices, supported by the National Center for State Courts, is developing resources to help courts address AI by deciding their own approaches. "It seems like every couple of weeks there's a new story about an attorney or even a self-represented litigant using one of these technologies, and the information is not always credible or even accurate," said Shay Cleary, a managing director at the National Center for State Courts.
How State Courts Are Improving Virtual Hearings
State courts are improving virtual hearings by leveraging new technology, redesigning courtroom, offering technical training to staff and improving case practices through the National Center for State Courts' Hybrid Hearings Improvement Initiative. Through the initiative, NCSC connected courts with technology partners and consultants to help them improve their hybrid hearings. "We intentionally selected a diverse group of courts to participate in the project to help us understand a broader range of challenges and solutions," said Lindsay Hafford, NCSC project director and principal court management consultant.