News & Updates

IAALS's JPE 2.0 project, launched in 2021, seeks to modernize judicial performance evaluation programs and improve public trust. A survey of 658 judges and subsequent discussions in convenings revealed a holistic view of what is working—and what is not—regarding JPE.

Not all divorces are ugly. Shannon and Chris Neuman, a Canadian couple, recently finalized their divorce in Calgary, Alberta. The final consummation of their divorce: a selfie outside the courthouse. The ex-couple’s selfie is a celebration of the…

A trial court judge who was removed from office on July 31 for ethics violations was one of the top-two vote getters in the August 7 primary election for her seat and will advance to the general election. According to the supreme court, her removal extends only through the end of the year.

Utah's regulatory sandbox might include a new participant: social workers from Utah State University’s Community Justice Advocate Program, which aims to help people dealing with consumer debt. Unlike many similar programs, USU’s would be operated with lawyers in a supporting role.

In the Jefferson County District Courthouse in Golden, Colorado, family law self-represented litigants in court on post-decree matters have a new resource available to them. The Turelli Foundation, formed by retired Judge Richard Turelli and retired…

According to a statewide poll, 47 percent of voters favor retaining the four justices standing for retention in November, while 24 percent oppose their retention and 25 percent are undecided. Poll results also show little residual anger over the supreme court’s 2009 decision recognizing a right to same-sex marriage, which resulted in the retention defeat of three justices in 2010.

The Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR) recently released a high-profile report exploring why the legal profession is struggling to meet the needs of the majority of Americans. In this report, CLEAR points to multiple IAALS projects to support their recommendations, underscoring IAALS’ role in shaping national reform.

On the occasion of IAALS’ 10th anniversary, I’ve been reflecting on the strength of our partnership over the years, and on the value of that partnership as our shared work for fair, high quality courts takes on ever-greater significance. Justice at Stake is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to keep America's courts fair and impartial. We work for reforms to keep politics and special interests out of the courtroom—so judges can protect our Constitution, our rights, and the rule of law. As you can see, our mission aligns pretty perfectly with that of IAALS and its Quality Judges Initiative.

IAALS was very sad to learn that U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz passed away on Sunday, September 30, after battling Lou Gehrig's disease for over a year. Judge Kravitz leaves a legacy of commitment to the civil justice system and service to the court and public.

On Saturday, IAALS Executive Director and former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis delivered the commencement address to the 2016 graduates of the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. Approximately 240 law students heard Becky unveil what it is new lawyers need to succeed, based on research findings from IAALS' Foundations for Practice project.

To address concerns about the utility of law school's third year, New York University School of Law is overhauling its students' third year curriculum. By changing their curriculum to focus less on elective courses and more on outside experience, N.Y.U. Law hopes to make their graduates more appealing in the legal job market.

In Maryland, the creation of special family divisions in the state’s five largest jurisdictions has transformed the way courts handle family law cases. A recent article in the National Center for State Courts’ 2016 Trends in State Courts explains how the creation of these special family divisions can provide a model for improving the way such cases are treated across the country.

Because the exhausting and emotional impact of divorce extends often extends into the work environment, the Huffington Post suggests businesses should actively take a part to improve how courts handle divorce and custody issues. The Huffington Post relies on IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis' article, "It's Just Good Business: The Case for Supporting Reform in Divorce Court," in which she states that if the family court system "can be improved -- such that they cost less money, take less time, and are less adversarial and inflamed -- not only will employees benefit, but so will their employers.

With our publication Judges Aren’t Sexy: Engaging and Educating Voters in a Crowded World, we offered a range of practical recommendations—including communications strategies and assets for social media and a messaging platform—for communicating with judicial voters. A handful of states have put our recommendations into practice for this election cycle.

Judicial campaign spending amounts across the nation skyrocketed in the recent election cycle, threatening public perceptions of the independence, fairness, and impartiality of the courts. Driven by the desire to tilt the political balance on the court or to remove a judge from the bench because of unpopular rulings, political parties and outside groups spent vast amounts of unregulated money toward retaining or defeating a particular judge.

In July 2016, the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators recognized the important needs of litigants in our state courts and responded by adopting a set of 13 Recommendations focused on ensuring our courts are affordable, efficient, and fair for all.

Advanced Advocacy: Legislative Policy, the latest Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers course portfolio, incorporates theory and practice of the legislative processes, advocacy in the legislative context, and judicial interpretation of statutory law. This is an upper level simulation course with an emphasis on research, drafting, and presentation for a genuine legislative immersion experience.

Professor David Thomson wrote a guest post for CBA-CLE Legal Connection discussing the Carnegie Report, his own experience as a young lawyer, and why he created this course.

Divorce proceedings are getting a digital makeover in the United Kingdom as Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) prepares to move all divorce applications online.

As state legislatures around the country kick off their 2013 sessions, lawmakers in at least four states—Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—are poised to make changes to the process for selecting their states’ judges.