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 →According to a recent Pew Research Survey, the chances of serving on a jury in any given year are small, but most Americans still see it as part of being a good citizen. 67% of U.S, adults said serving on a jury “is part of what it means to be a good citizen.” Only 31% took the opposite view and said jury duty service “does not have much to do with being a good citizen.”
Natural hurricanes bring humane responses. But how do we deal with the manmade hurricane of racial bigotry? Our nation has seen the horror that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused. What happened was not simply the loss of life, but the ravaging and destruction of communities that at best will take years to rebuild. There is no silver lining in this tragedy. Yes, we came together. Yes, the traditionally broken Congress acted swiftly to fund a response, but if you are a victim it will take a long time to heal. Or, is there a silver lining?
HON. ROXANNE BAILIN is a former District Court Judge. Roxanne Bailin was Chief Judge of the 20th Judicial District (Boulder County) from 1998 to 2013. She was named to the county bench in 1983 and to the district court bench in 1987. Prior to being appointed County Judge, Judge Bailin was a Clinical Professor and…
Associate Professor Jonathan Witmer-Rich of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law published an article titled Restoring the Independence to the Grand Jury: A Victim Advocate for Police Use of Force Cases in the most recent edition of the Cleveland State Law Review. His article is an effort to address the recent mistrust of the grand jury process by some members of the public.
In light of the recent aggressive federal enforcement of immigration law, some legal and judicial leaders in the states have asserted courts as “safe harbors” for immigrants. The Maryland attorney general asserted in a letter to federal authorities in March of this year that he did not want the most vulnerable immigrants to be discouraged from seeking judicial protection and medical care. By declaring courts and hospitals “safe locations,” the attorney general’s letter reassures members of this vulnerable population that they can continue to use these services without fear.
The lawyer’s were done asking the questions, and it was the jury’s turn. Steven Jones sat nervously in the witness box Friday morning as his trial on murder and assault charges raced toward a close with jurors posing their own queries to him. Sometimes jury questions can show which way a jury is leaning. Friday morning’s questions showed mostly that jurors had been paying attention. And they offered insights into areas where the lawyers didn’t go. Jones’ extensive gun training, for example, and his knowledge of first aid.
A high-profile case can land in your court with little or no warning. If unprepared, such cases can create chaos, absorb resources, and place your court at the center of an intense media spotlight. Judges and court professionals now have instant online access to the tools necessary to plan and manage high-profile cases in their courts. The new Managing High-Profile Cases for the 21st Century website is a joint project of the National Center for State Courts, the Conference of Court Public Information Officers, and the National Judicial College. The project was made possible through a State Justice Institute grant.
