NAPCO membership is open to presiding, chief and leadership judges, court executives and others …
Read more →Save the Date! NAPCO Conference • Wilmington, Delaware • August 16-19, 2026
Read more →A search has commenced for the next president and chief executive officer of The National Judicial College, one of the nation’s most influential institutes for the continued education of judges. The next CEO will succeed President Chad C. Schmucker, who announced his intention to retire last September.
With so much attention being paid to the 2016 presidential election, down-ballot items tend to be forgotten. However, ballot items in four states this November will have a direct impact on state courts. These proposals represent not just questions for voters in a particular year, but also broader discussions about how state courts operate, ranging from judicial age and capacity to the role of independently elected clerks of court.
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and Brock Peters as Tom Robinson in the 1962 film adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus Finch, the fictional lawyer in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” passionately believed in justice. He didn’t like criminal law, yet he accepted the appointment to represent Tom Robinson, an African-American man charged with raping a young white girl. The story, set in Maycomb County, Alabama, in the early 1930s, portrays a lawyer who felt that the justice system should be colorblind. Had Atticus Finch run for office after the trial, could he have been elected?
The Supreme Court holds a unique place in American government. Sitting justices do not have set terms, and they can influence public policy long after the presidents who nominated them and the senators who confirmed them have departed. Partisans have often battled over these nominations because of the court’s ability to reshape or strike down laws favored by one side or another.
Chief Judges and Court Executive Officers from 32 States attended the first annual Trial Court Leadership Academy and Conference held by the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO) in partnership with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Read a short review and take a look at some photos from the event.
NAPCO is proud to encourage its members to nominate candidates for the National Center for State Courts’ esteemed Warren E. Burger Award recognizing a court executive officer who has significantly contributed to improving the administration of the state courts. Service may be at the local, state or national levels. This prestigious honor recognizes an individual…
A report and reference guide on the use of remote technology in state courts, commissioned by NAPCO and funded through a special grant from the State Justice Institute (SJI), has recently been completed and is now available to court leaders throughout the country. Michael Bridenback (ret.) Court Administrator, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Tampa, Florida, aided by Melissa Foss, Judicial Staff Attorney at the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, conducted the research produced the report. The report/reference guide is intended to aid courts in developing plans to use and expand this beneficial technology.
