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Dime a Dozen

Posted in Jury on Sunday March 07 2010 @ 7:03pm

We're pretty sure we get a dime every time this happens.

If only we got a dime every time we wrote about it -- we would be blogging from our own private island courthouse!

The Peace of Summons

Posted in Jury on Saturday March 06 2010 @ 8:01pm

We read a lot of letters praising jury service for its ability to promote patriotism, the rule of law, and education of the public about the legal system.

We've also seen voir-dire-is-stranger-than-fiction letters, full of women giving birth in the jury room, jurors falling in love, or jurors who gather together on a regular basis long after their service is complete.

It's not often one comes across such a nice letter as this: Jury Duty a Reminder of Slowing Down, by Tina Wocher, Cincinnati Enquirer (March 4, 2010).

Easy Answer

Posted in Family on Thursday March 04 2010 @ 7:56pm

Ooooh, pick us pick us pick us!

Slate's Mary Adkins asks why court mediation programs don't take domestic violence cases: Breaking Up Is Hard Enough to Do, Slate (March 3, 2010).

Answer: because that's the way the advocacy community wanted it. Some programs had a very tough start back in the day due to this very dilemma. This was so even when mediators argued that mediators were probably better at handling extremely conflicted parties and dysfunctional dynamics than many judges were. Nevertheless, every family mediation rule we've ever seen includes language from the advocates keeping victims out of the process.

So, perhaps it is time to revisit this question. If the answer changes, then every single family mediation rule, statute, etc., will have to be rewritten.

YouJudge

Posted in Judges on Saturday February 27 2010 @ 10:16am

Some judges would only be caught dead on a camera in the courtroom -- Over my dead body say some.

Not Judge James Kimbler and Judge Kovack of the Medina Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. On the court website, Judge Kimbler says I want you to know what is going on in your Medina County Courthouse. He follows up on that promise by using technology.

Judge Kimbler and Judge Kovack are so media-savvy they make your tween look like a luddite. Attorneys (and others) may join the court's e-mail list.

Attorneys may participate in an online pretrial chat.

Blog is their middle name. Inside the Court is a (seemingly outdated) blog hosted by the two judges with video and blog posts. Judge Kimbler has his own blog as well (more up-to-date).

He's even on YouTube! The insidethecourtMCDRC channel features video clips of hearings and other court matters. (See also the Inside the Court Online Edition on the left-hand side of the court's website.)

The court website also has audio jury instructions, the court's daily schedule, local rules, decisions, contact information, etc.

We can't wait to see what they'll try next -- Twitter? Facebook fan page? PDA-friendliness? Stay tuned...this is access to justice of the future.

Courthouses By Design

Posted in Courthouses on Wednesday February 24 2010 @ 3:01pm

Is your courthouse state-of-the-art? Let the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) know.

NCSC is collecting courthouse designs from 2001-2010 for its new Retrospective of Courthouse Design. According to NCSC's call for entries, Special project categories will include facilities for small rural courts, juvenile courts, and family courts. Federal, state, and international projects also welcome.

Submissions are being accepted through April 15, 2010. Jury review (G. Thomas Munsterman will conduct voir dire -- OK not really) begins in May, and publication is set for September.

Free Soap and Continental Breakfast Included

Posted in Courthouses on Sunday February 21 2010 @ 8:47pm

Relax...it's a municipal court!

The Mansfield Municipal Court may have a new slogan when it moves into its new digs at...you guessed it, a Holiday Inn.

This is what happens when courts are firebombed: broken windows, fire and water damage, etc. While the building is repaired, court must go on.

See the creative solution to the problem: Mansfield Municipal Court Moving to Holiday Inn, Linda Martz, Mansfield News Journal (February 20, 2010).

We wonder how many bonus points they can get for this?

For the Defense

Posted in Courthouses on Sunday February 21 2010 @ 8:12pm

To thine cell phone be true!

Like a Richard Stern syllabus, the Manhattan federal courthouse is introducing modernity.

See Now, Cellphones for the Defense, Too, John Eligon, NY Times City Room blog (February 19, 2010).

Why do we care? Because the trend thus far in most courts has been to collect all electronics at the door, as though those entering were fourth-graders who stayed up too late playing DS. (Ha, you thought you were too smart for your mom!) Now, the Blackberries and iPods are being seen as tools for working people.

With a Little Help from Our Friends

Posted in Administration on Saturday February 20 2010 @ 3:29pm

Two seemingly unrelated links were sent to us by our friends this week.

The better half of Court-o-Rama's worse half alerted us to the fact that more potential jurors are claiming financial hardship. Over 24% were dismissed in L.A. last year due to that reason. California pays nothing the first day and a mere $15 thereafter.

And, there are more disgruntled jurors. See Weighed Down by Recession Woes, Jurors Are Becoming Disgruntled, Carol J. Williams, L.A. Times (February 15, 2010). Cheers and best o' luck to Gloria Gomez, jury czarina for the L.A. Superior Court.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Mac sent us this fabulous idea, adaptable to courts, court services, justice centers, etc., everywhere.

I Do, He Does, She Does, We Do

Posted in Truth Is Stranger Than (Legal) Fiction! on Saturday February 13 2010 @ 6:12pm

There's a big holiday tomorrow Pick one: a) President's Day Eve, b) Lunar New Year, or c) Valentine's Day...

If you guessed c, you're right. Courthouse weddings are in season:

The Roanoke City Court Clerk clears her calendar this time each year to make room for the marrying kind. See Couples Flock to Courthouse for Pre-Valentine's Wedding, Meagan Farley, WSLS (February 12, 2010).

The Las Cruces Probate Court is making an exception to its no cameras rule. See Plans Being Made for Valentine's Weddings, Sun-News (February 12, 2010).

One New Mexico judge has presided over thousands of weddings: Judge Celebrates 3,000 Knots Tied, Brendan Giuati, Daily Times (February 4, 2010).

In San Antonio, large groups of people can get married for free. See Free Weddings Set for Valentine's Day, San Antonio News (February 11, 2010). Not to sound cynical, but this almost makes the case for making marriage more difficult to obtain. See Make MARRIAGE Harder, Not Divorce, Susan Levine, The Cheers (2005).

Conservative church leaders in Kankakee are thinking ahead. They took their Marriage, Inc. philosophy to the courthouse steps. See Local Organization Launches Drive to Curb Divorce, Emily Zulz, Daily Journal (February 13, 2010).

Meanwhile, total strangers made a statement by marrying in Florida. See Brian Feldman & Hannah Miller Marry Because Gay People Can't, Jamie Hyman, Watermark (December 21, 2010). Didn't Britney Spears do that once?

Hawkeye Proposals

Posted in Elections on Wednesday February 10 2010 @ 6:37pm

They can be cold as the falling thermometers in February if you ask about their weather in July, but some Iowans are hoping to change the way their state justices are selected.

HJR 2012, sponsored by Rep. Rod Roberts (R), would appoint one justice from each judicial district, plus one at-large member. Justices would be required to live in their district while serving. Roberts believes this method would help answer a question he reportedly hears from constituents: Who are these people?

Meanwhile, HJR 2013, sponsored by Rep. Kent Sorenson (R), wants Iowa to elect its judges directly. Why? People are frustrated with the justices not answering to the people.

Why are all these newfangled ideas surfacing all of the sudden? Hmm...

The Iowa Bar Association opposes both bills. It could be a long fight.

And we're so by God stubborn
We can stand touching noses
For a week at a time
And never see eye-to-eye.

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