The SJI Board of Directors met at the Supreme Court of Connecticut on June 24, 2013, to consider grant applications for the 3rd quarter of FY 2013. A total of 13 grants were awarded during this meeting. One Project Grant was awarded to the Supreme Court of Ohio to for a statewide initiative that will provide a forum for domestic relations judges and their justice system partners to assess protocols, examine resources, and share promising practices.

A total of nine (9) Technical Assistance (TA) Grants were awarded, including grants to: the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to test and evaluate approaches used in three states to adjudicate domestic relations cases in order to develop a triage system for these case types; the Missouri Office of the State Courts Administrator for a forms and self-represented litigant website six-language translation project; Okanogan County, Washington, to assess the performance of the Office of the Clerk; the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) to develop a training program for judicial officers on human trafficking and increase outreach on this critical topic area; the Henderson Municipal Court in Nevada to conduct an operational review and recommend best practices to improve court administration; the Eugene Municipal Court in Oregon to assess caseflow management; the Oregon Judicial Department for a pilot project designed to improve language access in Oregon’s courts; the Idaho Supreme Court and Judicial Council for a statewide judicial performance evaluation; and, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts to develop and implement a statewide caseload data evaluation for adult and juvenile probation and pretrial services caseloads.

Three (3) Curriculum Adaptation & Training (CAT) Grants were also awarded including grants to: the National Judicial College (NJC) to develop an advanced skills curriculum for state appellate judges; the Connecticut Judicial Branch to implement a training program for court staff and judges that better identifies and serves individuals with hidden disabilities; and, the Superior Court of Fresno County, California, to deliver a situational leadership training program to 50 current and future court leaders.

The deadline for FY 2013 4th quarter grant applications is Thursday, August 1, 2013. Consultation with SJI staff prior to, and during the preparation of, grant applications is strongly encouraged.