Governor Corbett Has 90 Days to Name New Justice

News and Updates
With Justice Joan Orie Melvin's resignation from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on May 1, Governor Tom Corbett has ninety days to fill the vacancy. Pennsylvania judges are chosen in partisan elections and stand for retention for subsequent terms,… MORE

Ohio Chief Justice Proposes Judicial Election Reform

News and Updates
In a recent speech to the Ohio State Bar Association, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor identified eight areas in which the state's process for electing judges might be improved. Among the reforms that O'Connor put on the table were the creation of a… MORE

Governor Hassan Renews New Hampshire's Commitment to Quality Judicial Appointments and Quality Courts

News and Updates
As a former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and a current member of the IAALS Board of Advisors, I commend Governor Maggie Hassan for her wisdom in establishing the Judicial Selection Commission to advise her in filling vacancies on… MORE

Controversy over Selection Reform Comes to a Head in Kansas

News and Updates
It has been an eventful week judicial selection-wise in the Kansas legislature. As IAALS Online covered last week, conservative legislators and bar leaders were discussing a compromise selection reform proposal for the state's appellate judges. The… MORE

Bob Emery: Let Kids Be Our First Focus

News and Updates
Bob Emery is one of the preeminent national experts on issues related to children and divorce. He is a Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for Children, Families and the Law at the University of Virginia. He has both written… MORE

Announcing the Second Annual Educational Summit for State Court Judges: Unlocking E-Discovery

News and Updates
This September, IAALS and the National Judicial College will host an educational summit exclusively tailored for state court judges on all facets of the discovery of electronically stored information (ESI)—from preservation to production to… MORE

South Carolina Takes Fast Track Jury Trials Statewide

News and Updates
On March 7, 2013, Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal entered an Administrative Order recognizing the successful ad hoc use of a Fast Track jury trial process in South Carolina and implementing the voluntary process statewide. The Court also adopted… MORE

Minnesota Implements Pilot Expedited Litigation Track to Address Issues of Cost and Delay

News and Updates
The Minnesota Supreme Court continues to implement rule changes stemming from the recommendations of its Civil Justice Reform Task Force. On May 7, 2013, the Court adopted an Order authorizing the creation of a Pilot Expedited Civil Litigation… MORE

Inter-Branch Tensions Flare in New Jersey

News and Updates
In remarks at last week's annual conference of the state bar association, Justice Barry Albin encouraged members of the legal profession and the public to defend New Jersey's courts against attacks by the other two branches based on dissatisfaction… MORE

Using Performance-Based Innovation to Create the Courts Americans Want

News and Updates
In a recent article by Judge Kevin Burke, a member of the IAALS Board of Advisors, and Babak Armajani, they discuss several key areas in which courts are failing to meet the needs of the public, and a few states that are taking steps in the right… MORE