The Judicial Council of California announced the winners of its 2004–2005 Distinguished Service Awards. The awards, the highest honors given by the Council, are presented to those who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and make significant contributions to the administration of justice in California.

Recipients of these awards include NASJE member Ms. Karen Thorson, who received the Judicial Administration Award, which honors individuals in judicial administration for significant contributions to and leadership in their profession. The citation reads as follows:

Karen Thorson, Director of the Education Division/Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) of the Administrative Office of the Courts, has shown leadership in spearheading and developing new approaches to the design, development, and delivery of education for the trial and appellate courts.

Under her leadership, Education Division staff have worked with more than 20 education committees, representing judges and court personnel, to identify educational needs and develop a series of curriculum designs for numerous target audiences. This curriculum initiative, which includes entry, experienced, and advanced levels of content, will revolutionize how educational needs are identified, how education is developed and delivered, and how that education is evaluated and enhanced.

In addition, she has led the division in establishing and enhancing numerous distance education alternatives to supplement and complement existing seminars and conferences. Included is the creation of a broadcast system with more than 200 downlink sites in California courts, which brings live, interactive training to judges and court personnel, and a continually expanding series of online courses addressing a wide variety of content areas.

She has been instrumental in extending the services and expertise of the Education Division not only to the other divisions of the Administrative Office of the Courts but throughout the judicial branch. Because of her leadership, the Education Division/CJER is far more effective in meeting its goals and objectives, more engaged in the work of the Administrative Office of the Courts and the judicial branch, and more essential to the work of the Judicial Council in enhancing the administration of justice.

Prior to joining the California AOC in 2000, Ms. Thorson directed the Education Service Division for the Arizona Supreme Court and the Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts, from which she received the 1999 Distinguished Service Award for judicial administration. She was the key organizer for the 1999 National Symposium on the Future of Judicial Branch Education and has provided assistance to more than 20 states regarding various aspects of judicial branch education. She was the recipient of the 2002 Warren E. Burger Award from the National Center for State Courts.

Return to Top

Copyright 1999-2009, National Association of State Judicial Educators
Contact Web Developer

This Website is updated quarterly by NASJE.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Association of State Judicial Educators.