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With assistance from SJI, the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) embarked on a new comprehensive study of issues relating to jury service in D.C. from the perspective of jurors, judges, and lawyers (SJI-14-T-086).

Working out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia over a 12-month period, a CCE Project Committee reexamined the jury system in the District of Columbia, as a follow up to CCE’s initial study of jury service in 1998. The Committee was comprised of subject matter experts, staff, and local stakeholders. The results of their reexamination are available in the final report: Jury Service Revisited: Upgrades for the 21st Century.

Included in the summary of recommendations are lists related to Juror Care; Jury Pool and Summoning; and Trial Structure. The report includes exhibits that feature items in use by the D.C. Courts including forms, pamphlets, and letters.

In addition to the collection of data and metrics provided by the Courts on jury trials and protocols used in selecting jurors, a total of 24 trials were observed; Voir Dire information evaluated in selected cases; and juror survey experiences analyzed.  The report provides updated information relative to the jury experience that did not exist as a concern in 1988, namely social media-related policies for jurors, greater real-time access to information, and technology advancements in court systems allowing for greater automation of the process.

The Committee acknowledged that their overall goal is to support citizens in their roles as jurors and improve the effective administration of justice through juries. Beyond assembling and analyzing the requisite data, as well as generating findings for this report, the Committee is exploring the following next steps:

• Encourage and support testing of proposed improvements through pilot projects in courtrooms of the D.C. Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for DC.
• Support implementation of recommendations contained in the D.C. Jury Project Report.
• Suggest educational programs for the bench, the bar, jurors, and the public concerning any prospective jury reforms.
• Establish methods to periodically examine the utilization of any newly adopted rules and procedures to determine their effects, and suggest modifications when necessary.

 

 

SJI is sad to announce the passing of our Board Chairman, and former Chief Justice of Arkansas, Jim Hannah.

Jim Hannah served as the Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court from 2005 to 2015, and successfully ran statewide contested elections for Chief Justice (2004) and Associate Justice (2000). At the time of his retirement, he was the longest serving judge in the state of Arkansas. He was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction, and by President Obama to SJI, where he served as Chairman from 2010 until his death. He also served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices; Chairman of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors; and former President and Board Member, Arkansas Judicial Council.

Chief Justice Hannah served as a Juvenile Judge for White County, Arkansas from 1976-1978, and was elected as a Chancery/Probate Judge in the 17^th Judicial District, 1979-2000. His previous work in the legal profession included serving as the Searcy City Attorney; Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Woodruff County; City Judge for Kensett and Rosebud; City Attorney for Augusta, Bradford, Des Arc, Garner, Kensett and Rosebud; and Private Attorney, Lightle, Tedder, Hannah & Beebe Law Firm, Searcy, Arkansas.

His many accolades and accomplishments include the establishment of the White County Juvenile Court and Juvenile Probation Office; former Chair, Arkansas Judicial Council’s Judicial Resources Assessment, Legislative, and Retirement committees; Member, Arkansas Supreme Court Committees for Access to Justice, Client Security Fund, Technology, Child Support and District Court Resources Board; Chair, Drug Court Advisory Committee; Faculty Advisor, National Judicial College; Member, Arkansas Board of Pardons and Paroles, 1972-79; former legislative assistant to then-Governor Dale Bumpers; former Chairman and past member of the Arkansas Court Reporters Examiners Board; and Member, Arkansas Bar Association.

Chief Justice Hannah graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1968, and held a BSBA (Accounting) from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Supported by SJI, the New Mexico Center for Language Access at the Administrative Office of the Courts, initiated and developed a portal for obtaining language access training in the courts. The Language Access Basic Training (LABT) Suite consists of interactive modules that provide introduction to language access for both monolingual and bilingual court staff. The training provides court staff with a basic understanding of their ethical and legal obligations, as well as current best practices in serving limited English proficient and non-English speaking individuals. LABT also provides training modules and an optional skills assessment for bilingual court staff. Outside of New Mexico, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Nevada are top users of the LABT Suite, having trained several hundred court staff. New Mexico has used the training for its language access specialists and bilingual judiciary staff certified to provide language access services outside the courtroom. Other states have expressed interest in incorporating this online training into their overall training and education programs.

Individual courts staff and entire courts are eligible to access the LABT Suite for a low cost ($15.00 – $35.00/user based on the total number of users), and the Bilingual Skills Assessment is also available. Courts interested in customizing the experience for their employees may also explore this option by contacting the LABT administrator. To learn more about the LABT Suite, including training topics, computer software and hardware requirements, and the time necessary to complete each module, please review the website which contains demos of some of the training module content.