Join NAPCO in Bellevue, Washington August 17-20, 2025
Read more →NAPCO membership is open to presiding, chief and leadership judges, court executives and others …
Read more →The current political environment may be an exceptional chance to see our system of government in action and understand “separation of powers” and the role of the federal judiciary.
On the evening of June 1st, as polls closed, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum hailed the historic vote to elect the country’s judiciary as “a complete success.” There are few measures whereby that could be said to be true. Turnout was a paltry 13%. Of the ballots that were cast, more than 20% were spoiled or left blank. But in one way the election was certainly a triumph: it has consolidated the grip of Morena, Ms. Sheinbaum’s ruling party, over the third branch of government—and over Mexico as a whole.
The Gordon “Gordy” Griller Award for Excellence in Court Leadership is given annually by the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers to a person or persons who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and access to justice for all.
Life’s decisions are awash in daily negotiations observe Harvard professors Roger Fisher and William Ury in their seminal book, Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Like it or not, we are all negotiators: two lawyers try to settle a lawsuit; court leaders engage in budget discussions; a new discovery processes upsets some judges; or a court leader deals with a disgruntled staffer.
On June 1st Mexicans will vote to elect judges to 850 federal posts, nine Supreme Court seats, 22 powerful tribunal jobs and thousands of roles in lower courts. In 2027 a second vote will see the rest of Mexico’s judiciary filled. A few countries elect through popular vote a handful of judges, commonly to general and limited jurisdiction trial courts. Mexico will become the first country in the world where every judge on every court is chosen by popular vote.
It’s spring, and with their oral arguments for the term largely over (save one unusual added session set for Thursday), U.S. Supreme Court justices are taking to the lecture circuit. Topic A seems to be the unique challenges to the rule of law presented by President Donald Trump and his administration.
Adaptive leadership is a collaborative, responsive way to lead in modern times that has special relevance for leadership teams charged with guiding and developing loosely-coupled, professionally dominated trial courts. This webinar is the second in a series of leadership methodologies, presented in concert with the National Center for State Courts, on how to constructively influence and overcome conflicts, challenges, long-held beliefs, and demands confronted by leaders in advancing new, better ways of doing things where top-down, command-and-control actions have never worked well.
