Commission on Judicial Operation

Well it’s been four months since I last posted anything to this blog. Now that the draft final report of the Commission on Judicial Operation is online and will be discussed at the Commission’s “final” meeting on Friday, November 6th, it’s time to reactivate this blog and for all of us to stay in closer contact as this plays out. And it won’t be long before the legislature returns to town. I want to thank all of you that responded to the five question survey this summer and/or attended county bar focus groups to offer your input. We also had a very successful Annual Meeting “town hall” at which many of you participated. Now is the time to read the report which is found on the judiciary’s website under the link to November 6. It’s still a draft, remember. I’ll post here when the Commission votes on the final product. Between then and the opening of the legislative session I urge all of you to contact your house and senate members and let them know how you feel about the proposals. It’s important that they hear from the bar about access to justice. Don’t assume that every legislator, especially those not serving on the judiciary or appropriations committees, fully understands the depth of the crisis facing the courts. Doing nothing is not an option at this time. You may or may not like what the Commission will finally recommend. I don’t doubt that you may have other ideas or suggestions after spending some time with this report. I would be happy to hear those ideas and share them with the Chief Justice and the Court Administrator. Of course, you can take those directly to your legislators if you so choose. I’ll be posting more frequently now as we move into the session.