National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers

What Were They Thinking?: Musings of a Jury Deliberation Process

I’ve worked at the NCSC for over 30 years with most of my career focused on the topic of jury system management and jury trial procedure. During this time, my perspectives have mostly been informed by the professional views of judges, lawyers, court administrators, and academics. Only occasionally did I interact with actual jurors. At best, I could only imagine myself in their place when thinking about policies and practices that would benefit the institution of trial by jury. This changed this week when, much to my surprise, I was selected as a trial juror in a criminal case in my local court.

2024 NAPCO Conference – Denver

Registration is now open for the 2024 NAPCO Conference, August 25-28 in Denver, Colorado. Exhibitor and Sponsorship Information is also available.

Where is courtroom technology heading? It’s complicated

Before the pandemic, the extent of courtroom technology was most likely some combination of a VHS/DVD/CD player, an ELMO document and overhead projector, and laptops, notebooks or tablets so lawyers could run PowerPoint, TrialPad or some other presentation program. And that was assuming the courtroom or jurisdiction had the resources or desire to invest in technology. Thanks to COVID-19, courts underwent a major disruption that led to more widespread adoption of technology.

NAPCO Executive Director Transition Group Meets in Arizona

In early January, 2024, a special NAPCO Ad Hoc Leadership Transition Committee met for two days in Arizona to plan and develop a changeover in executive-level operations of the Association pursuant to the retirement of the organization’s executive director, Gordon Griller.

Israel’s Supreme Court Strikes Back

At any other time it would have provoked a constitutional crisis. For much of 2023 Israelis had taken to the streets to protest against the government’s efforts to weaken the power of judges to overrule the government, a step many saw as an attack on Israel’s democracy. Yet when on January 1st Israel’s highest court struck down the judicial-reform law passed just six months earlier, most Israelis shrugged.

Chemerinsky: Expect another momentous year at the Supreme Court

I do not recall ever facing a new year with such a sense of trepidation and even fear of what to expect. The presidential election campaign of 2024 promises to be unlike any we have seen in American history, and it seems inevitable that the U.S. Supreme Court will play a large role. And the docket for the current term is filled with major issues about controversial matters, such as abortion, administrative law, gun rights and the First Amendment and social media.

WEBINAR: Storytelling as a Leadership Tool

Storytelling has been around for thousands of years. From ancient cave dwellings to the latest webinar series, stories have both fascinated and motivated humankind. Stories have always been a highly helpful tool to communicate a message, idea, or feeling. This is why the art of telling a thought-provoking story is an essential leadership skill in today’s world as it has been in times past.