Resources

The NCSTJ supports continuing education through various programs and publications. Each year, Conference members have many opportunities to learn about and study timely issues facing state trial judges. The Conference works together with other ABA entities to promote the better administration of justice.

• The Conference founded and continues to support the National Judicial College which offers outstanding educational training for state trial judges. The College offers both general courses and intensive graduate specialty sessions.
• The Conference has a nationwide list serve on the Internet allowing Conference members to easily exchange ideas, questions and advice.
• In addition to education forums and learning resources, the NCSTJ provides an important venue for social interaction and networking with colleagues nationwide.
• Through the work of its members and committees, the NCSTJ has published a wide range of books on key issues to provide state trial judges with informative decision making and best practice methods.

NCSTJ Policies, Standards and Guidelines

The National Conference of State Trial Judges produce various projects and reports of importance to state court judges across the country. The following are currently available online:

• Model Time Standards for State Courts - Resolution 112, approved as revised by the ABA HOD, February 2012.
• Standard 1.65, Court Use of Electronic Filing Processes, approved by the ABA House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on February 9, 2004. The most recent of the Standards Relating to Court Organization was co-sponsored by the Judicial Division, the Litigation Section, the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, the Science and Technology Law Section, and the Young Lawyers Division. 
• Judicial Peformance Evaluation Handbook and Guidelines, approved by the ABA house of Delegates in 2005, the collection of updated guidlines are intended to provide a model for the evaluation of judicial performance. 
• Standard 2.77: Drug Court Standards, approved by the ABA House of Delegates on August 7, 2001, at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. 
• Discovery Guidelines for State Courts

Publications

The Judges' Journal
 
The Division's award-winning quarterly publication is one of the nation's foremost judicial journals and the authoritative source on innovations in the justice system.

Judicial Division Record 
The JD's quarterly e-newsletter, informs members about the activities of the Division and its Conferences, projects, opportunities, as well as upcoming meetings and programs.

Litigation Control: The Trial Judge’s Key to Avoiding Delay
 
This manual will provide the trial judge with the tools to implement a system of docket control, whether the court setting is rural or urban or the system is computerized or manual.

Best Practice Handbooks

Are Your Jury Pools Representative of the Community? 
This checklist touches on the issue of jury panels that do not represent a cross section of the community and provides 13 steps to help improve community representation of jury panels.

A Fair Trial: Jurors Use of Electronic Devices & the Internet  
This handbook discusses the obstacles Judges face with  on how we can continue to insure that litigants receive a fair trial – one which is based solely on the evidence presented in the courtroom and maintain the privacy of jury deliberations – in light of the proliferation of information available electronically in the world today.

The Use of Independent Experts
This handbook was develop to assist trial judges in the selection of an independent expert in cases involving allegations, professional negligence or complex, scientific issues.

NCSTJ Recorded Programs

Apps for Judges: Introducing the Best Tools, Spotting the Ethical Issues, and Empowering the Courts for the Next Level of Productivity and Service (2013)

The Language of Justice: Removing Language Barriers to Justice in the Nation's Courts

Judicial Division Resources

The Judicial Division provides tools and materials needed to help its members succeed and stay ahead in the profession.