To my NASJE colleagues, Best wishes for a joyous holiday season, time with family and friends, good health and happiness. If it’s possible, I encourage you to take a short break from thinking about judicial branch education and prepare to Read more
James “Jim” Drennan echoes the qualities honored by the Karen Thorson Award through his forty-year University of North Carolina School of Government career that started in 1974, and through his contributions to NASJE. Current NASJE communications committee chair Lynne Alexander sat down with the Jim for a short discussion about judicial education.
The Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016. The College has grown a lot in the past 40 years and this video gives a view of some of the achievements made during this time.
Kelly Tait, NASJE Past President and Communications Consultant, was quoted in an article in The New York Times about teaching implicit bias.
Judicial Education in Texas works differently than in many other states. Instead of judicial education being a function of the Office of Court Administration as it is elsewhere, judicial education is provided through multiple entities each providing training for a different segment of the judiciary. This judicial education is financed by a grant from the Court of Criminal Appeals out of funds appropriated by the Legislature to the Judicial and Court Personnel Training Fund. In Texas, judicial education is administered by the Court of Criminal Appeals, through grants from the Court to Judicial Education entities, such as the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center.
Ryan Kellus Turner, General Counsel & Director of Education, Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, was recently honored with the 2016 Outstanding Government Lawyer award from the Government Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. The award was presented at the State Bar’s Advanced Government Law seminar in Austin on July 28, 2016.
It is difficult to discuss prison conditions with just about anyone. Some are convinced that crime deserves prison, the more time the better. Others are appalled by statistics that reveal the huge number of prisoners in America. Politicians talk about being tough on crime, parents talk about spending more on education instead of on prisons. Private prisons seem to be having a heyday. Recently, much has been made of the number of minorities in American prisons, and the long sentences they serve compared to Whites. As court personnel, exposed daily to crimes against society, it is easy to become jaded about prison and prisoners.
On August 11, 2016 NASJE’s Western Region hosted a meeting where we shared ways to approach teaching and facilitating discussions about the difficult topics of racism, prejudice and implicit bias in the judicial branch with judges and court staff. The Read more
NASJE member Melody Laney Luetkehans has received the National Judicial College 2015 Staff Excellence Award. The NJC website also has an interview with Melody as part of their Spotlight on Staff series. Congratulations to Melody for her excellent work in Judicial Branch Read more
Greetings from America’s interstate highways! After a summer of working remotely from Ohio in between conferences, I am about to officially (finally) move to Williamsburg, Virginia to begin my new role as Director of National Programs at the Institute for Court Management at NCSC. In this edition of “From the President”, I’ll share an overview of the many activities undertaken by our association this spring.
As judicial educators, our challenge is to develop courses year after year that are relevant, engaging, and provide the most up-to-date information. We use a variety of resources to accomplish this daunting task, and this year, our partners at the National Association for Court Management (NACM) have released thirteen curriculum designs that align with the NACM Core, the updated version of the NACM Core Competencies.
What do you get when you cross a book club and a conference call? A “callinar,” of course! It was our pleasure as the Curriculum and Education Committee to host the very first ever “callinar” for judicial branch educators on April 28, 2016.
The first Article Club was a success and now it is time for the second one. These Article Club-style phone conferences were created to bring NASJE members together in conversations about topics of interest to judicial educators.
NASJE member Martha Martin, who served as the Chief of Court Education in Florida for 11 years, retired June 9, 2016.
When I began working at the Federal Judicial center ten years ago, I first heard of a learning conference concept called “open space.” You may have heard of it or even used it. It seemed so odd to me! Basically, learners come together with a predetermined, overarching topic for a specific amount of time with no specific agenda topics predefined at all. Some people call this an “unconference” or “open conference.”
Created in 2012, the Missouri Court Management Institute brings together judges, clerks, administrators, and juvenile officers six times a year to explore the purposes and responsibilities of courts, measurement of court performance, case flow management, and managing technology projects, judicial finances, and human resources.
Congratulations to Margaret Allen, NASJE President, who has accepted the position of Director of National Programs at the National Center for State Courts Institute for Court Management. In her new role, she will collaborate with existing and new partners to Read more
