Judges have attended continuing education seminars and conferences for many years. Recently the Supreme Court decided that court employees should also be given the opportunity to further their education and training by attending their own informational events. One hundred thirteen (113) members of court and clerk staff from sixty six (66) counties across the state gathered in Indianapolis in November for a jury administration conference. It was the first live educational offering for the new judicial branch personnel education initiative. Conferees called it an overwhelming success. Those in attendance completed evaluation forms and gave the day high marks. One person said, “I honestly came in to this thinking I already knew all there was to know in this area, but was quickly informed of easier and better ways to handle jury administration.” Others responded: “exceeded my expectations,” “very informative,” “wonderful job of answering my unasked questions,” and “a wealth of information provided!”
The conference provided those attending with both national and state perspectives on the jury administration process. Thomas Munsterman, a national leader in jury reform, spoke on the objectives of jury management and on future trends in the area.
Hamilton County Superior Court Judge William Hughes and Allen County Superior Court (Criminal) Judge Frances Gull gave informative presentations on jury rules and applicable statutes while discussing their practical application at the local level. They used life situations and scenarios to highlight important issues while encouraging conferees to participate in discussion of current problems. During a working lunch, those attending shared experiences and developed resource contacts.
Michelle Goodman, Indiana Judicial Center (IJC) Staff Attorney assisting the Judicial Conference Jury Committee, answered questions generated by the audience. Jill Russell, State Court Administration, offered an optional session on the jury management system provided through Supreme Court administrative offices.
The Judicial Center is very happy to send conference material to any requesting court and have IJC staff available to travel to individual counties for additional training.
If you have suggestions for future staff educational offerings, please forward them to Barbara Arnold Harcourt, Senior Judge and Judicial Staff Attorney at the Indiana Judicial Center, (317) 234-5996 [email protected].