News & Updates

We are pleased to announce the release of a new report on the judicial nominating commissions used to select supreme court justices in 30 states and Washington, D.C. With Choosing Judges, we examine why judicial nominating commissions are established in the first place, how their structure and operation differ across the nation, and what some of the best practices might be in building public trust in the process.

The general assembly opted not to elect a judicial candidate who would have been the state’s first openly gay judge. Opposition to his election focused on his positions on gay marriage and the military’s now-repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

We’re researchers who study legal services regulation and access to the civil justice system. We’ve been thrilled to watch groundbreaking announcements from the West ignite a wide-ranging national debate about how best to regulate legal training, services, and businesses—and we’ve been paying special attention to the role people who are not lawyers are playing in the process of legal re-regulation.

A family court in New York City recently allowed a father to serve his ex-wife with notice of a child support action via Facebook. The father first attempted to find and contact the mother through all of the traditional means, to no avail. The magistrate allowed the nontraditional service and noted that it was most likely the first of its kind in the country—when both parties are in the United States.

By a 4-3 vote, the supreme court declined to reappoint the chair of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, which recently found probable cause that Justice David Prosser violated three parts of the state’s code of judicial conduct and recommended a trial by a panel of three intermediate appellate court judges.

Recent data reflects dramatic changes in incoming state court cases and case processing since the pandemic’s onset, providing a unique perspective into the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives, their evolving justice needs, and the cases that are brought to our state courts for resolution. And, new civil filings data from IAALS is forthcoming.

Are law school graduates ready to enter the profession, engage in the practice, and serve clients? Many law schools have developed more robust experiential training in recent years. One such program is educating law students who are outperforming their colleagues in the field who have been licensed to practice law for up to two years, according to a study conducted by Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers.

The lone Democrat on the supreme court defended her colleagues against attacks from her Republican challenger. Justice Yvette McGee Brown rejected the claim that the justice legislate from the bench and described herself as proud to serve on the court.

The Yale Law Journal recently featured the growing debate on regulatory reform. In part one of a two-part series, we recap Stephen Younger's arguments that nonlawyer ownership won't solve the access to justice crisis.

The National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) launched the Justice Index just over a year ago. This first-of-its-kind Index provides a spectrum of data that compares states in regards to access to justice across four categories: 1) number of civil…

The June 2012 edition of the Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers newsletter is now available. Sign up for this and other IAALS newsletters here.

IAALS’ JPE 2.0 project is investigating and responding to concerns about judicial performance evaluation—with a goal of renewing JPE as a valued and trusted process going forward. A foundational white paper from IAALS serves as a primer for these important developments.

States across the country are wrestling with the question of whether a mandatory retirement age should be imposed upon judges, and if so, what that age should be. A number of states are considering raising or eliminating their age limits, while in at least one state, lowering the maximum age has been proposed by legislators to try and keep the courts in line.

In anticipation of confirmation hearings for Governor Christie’s two supreme court appointees, public employees unions expressed concern to the senate about the governor’s partisan approach to judicial appointments. They allege that the governor selected a Republican “posing as an independent” in order to observe the tradition of party balance on the supreme court.

Our Paths to Justice Summit Series, launched in 2021, focused on the ways our justice system needed to adapt in the wake of the pandemic. Our latest report underscores the importance of a people-centered approach, embracing technology, and promoting diversity, advocating for an ongoing commitment to progress within the interconnected civil justice system.

Do you trust the judiciary? If you thought “yes,” then you may be in a shrinking crowd. Judge Kevin S. Burke, Hennepin County district judge and IAALS board member, begins a recent article with candor – Public trust in the courts has dropped to an…

In the dispute over who should replace Kitty Kimball as chief justice when she steps down in early 2013, a federal district court judge ruled that Justice Bernice Johnson’s service from 1994 to 2000 as part of a civil rights case settlement should count toward her seniority. Attorneys for the state had argued that the issue should be decided by the state supreme court, and they have appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In the aftermath of severe hurricanes in the southeastern United States, it's crucial to ensure that justice remains accessible. IAALS’ Disaster Protocols are designed to keep the justice system functional, even in the face of overwhelming challenges.

Throughout this month, we've been releasing the fantastic Ignite-style presentations given at our 4th Annual Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers Conference by ETL Fellows and faculty from across the ETL Consortium. Faculty discussed an array of issues, from the innovations and outcomes of their school’s classes, programs, or curricula, to innovations within the realm of legal education more broadly.

The cast of "West Wing" has reunited to film two short web videos, urging voters to participate in nonpartisan state supreme court elections. One video specifically plugs Michigan Supreme Court candidate Bridget Mary McCormack while the other is a geared toward a more national audience.