chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.

    Reflections

    Vol. 52 No. 2   May 2013

    Courts & Judiciary

    Reflections on a Cup Half Empty or a Cup Half Full

    By Judge Michele D. Hotten

    The constitutional promise of justice and the realities faced by the judiciary today often fail to coalesce. This issue of The Judges’ Journal presents examples of the constrictions besetting the judiciary as it undertakes to fulfill the commitment to equal justice for all.

    Waymaker

    Legal Education

    Judge Bill Dressel: An Insightful Educator

    By Peter M. Koelling

    As a district court judge in Colorado for more than 22 years and then president of the National Judicial College since 2000, Judge Bill Dressel has vast insight into case management, trial management, court structure, and governance issues. He also touches on the benefits of having experienced judges as well as younger, diverse judges and advocates for pre-bench education programs as one way to improve the judicial experience and the profession.

    Features

    Courts & Judiciary

    Public Trust: Past, Present, Future

    By Zelda M. DeBoyes

    American courts are facing unprecedented challenges and an ever increasingly dissatisfied public in the 21st century. However, the collective court community has not examined the constructs of public trust for more than a decade. In this article, past studies conducted to measure trust and confidence are examined. Suggestions are made about what the courts can learn from the institution of higher education to make a positive difference in public perception and to reestablish trust and confidence in our system of justice.

    Court Administration

    We Never Saw It Coming . . . or Did We?

    By Janet G. Cornell, Phillip Knox, and Peter Kiefer

    A National Association for Court Management survey looks at a few possible scenarios for the future of America’s state courts. NACM suggests viewing the future through a lens that incorporates good governance, sustained performance even with limited funding, imaginative trend analysis, solid caseflow management, consideration of the public’s perception of the courts, and dedication to professional court management education.

    Courts & Judiciary

    New Handbook Offers Strategies for Restoring Court Funding

    By Jesse Rutledge and Bert Brandenburg

    Two nonprofit organizations, Justice at Stake and the National Center for State Courts, have published a new handbook to make the strongest case possible for adequate court funding. Funding Justice: Strategies and Messages for Restoring Court Funding is based on an extensive nationwide opinion research project that included focus groups; a poll of American voters; and interviews with chief justices, legislators, and others involved in the court funding debate.

    Courts & Judiciary

    Winds of Change: The Challenges Facing State High Courts in Regulating the Practice of Law

    By Chief Justice Myron T. Steele

    Over the past decade, the legal profession has become increasingly national and global. While many commentators have addressed the growth of transnational legal practice, few have addressed the challenges that nationalization and globalization present state courts responsible for regulating the legal profession. This article discusses the national regulatory implications of the Uniform Bar Examination and the international regulatory implications of increasing multijurisdictional practice.

    Courts & Judiciary

    Will Virtual Courts Create Courthouse Relics?

    By Keith B. Kaplan

    Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and the courts can utilize technology to allow for greater access and efficiency. New technology could make courthouses obsolete, rendering them ancient symbols of how justice was dispensed in the past. Courts may no longer require litigants, staff, judges, and the public to physically attend proceedings; all actions will occur online in virtual courts. However, the traditions and purposes of the courts may prevent courthouses from becoming relics.

    Technology Column

    Ethics Column