American Judges Association
Date of this Version
2019
Citation
Copyright American Judges Association. Used by Permission.
Abstract
Dear colleagues and Court Review readers!
This is the last column I will write as your president, and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve. Besides planning our well-renowned educational programs, over the past year, we focused on strengthening our committees by keeping them active and meeting regularly—whether in person at our conferences or through the numerous phone calls that spanned nine time zones and the International Date Line. We have been committed to bolstering membership while collaborating and partnering with other organizations to provide excellent educational opportunities. We continue to encourage diversity throughout our organization, and offer wellness and judicial family support to our members.
In April, we wrapped up our midyear meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where we partnered with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) to provide education sessions on Effective Judicial Practices and Court Interventions for Defendants with Substance Use Disorders and Therapeutic Jurisprudence Initiatives. The NADCP’s Chief Executive Officer Carson Fox, Chief Operating Officer Terrence Walton, and Board of Directors Chair Michael Barrasse were panelists for the sessions, along with California Judge Richard Vlavianos. The National Judicial College also aligned with our efforts by providing a pre-conference course on Advanced Bench Skills: Procedural Fairness. It was a successful midyear meeting, and the efforts of Mary Celeste in getting the commitment from NADCP and NJC cannot be overlooked.