Volume 24, No. 2 November 2013 

E-SJI NEWS SJI NEWS

In this Issue 

First Quarter Grant 

Applications 

1 

FY 2014 

Appropriations 

1 

Case Triage Protocols 

Report 

2 

FY 2014 

Grant Guideline 

2 

Review of Courthouse 

Violence 

3 

Page 1 

SJI Receives FY 2014 1st Quarter 

Grant Applications 

For the first quarter, SJI received 15 grant applications totaling $874,828. This included 5 Project 

Grant, 7 Technical Assistance (TA), and 3 Curriculum Adaptation and Training (CAT) grant applications. The SJI Board of Directors will meet on December 9, 2013 to make decisions on these applications. 

Grant deadlines for the remainder of FY 2014 are as 

follows: 2nd quarter – February 1, 2014; 3rd quarter – 

May 1, 2014; and 4th quarter – August 1, 2014. 

Join SJI on 

Facebook and 

on Twitter

For the latest information on 

projects, grant application deadlines, and updates. Connect 

with us on both forums by visiting our Facebook and Twitter

pages. 

Status of FY 2014 Appropriations 

On October 16, 2013, the House and Senate passed 

the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-

36), which was signed by the President on October 

17th. The CR funds the federal government 

(including SJI) at FY 2013 spending levels until 

January 15, 2014. SJI will continue to provide updates as the appropriations process continues to 

move forward. 
E-SJI News Volume 24, No. 2 November 2013 

Page 2 

Through an SJI Strategic Initiatives Grant, the 

National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and 

Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) 

have developed case triage protocols for cases 

involving self-represented litigants, and developed a report offering best practices for the 

collection of litigant information. This innovative project will provide a basis for system 

redesign towards quickly and effectively serving litigants as they access the state courts (SJI

-12-P-085). 

The project team included representatives 

from the state courts, the civil legal aid community, and the private bar. These partnerships are critical, since successful triage requires coordination between the courts, litigants, and service providers. The project team 

met its goal of developing triaging processes 

to better serve litigants. 

While the report begins with a brief historical 

framework for understanding triage in the 

legal context, particularly as it applies to the 

self-represented litigant, most of the focus in 

each legal issue section is on the application of 

stakeholder protocols, inclusive of: a) litigant 

choice protocol; b) court protocol; and, 

c) provider’s protocol. The following legal 

issue sections (pp. 6 – 20) are included: 

Eviction Protocols; 

Family Law Protocols; 

Foreclosure Cases; and, 

Credit Card Cases 

3) Promote access to justice through the 

litigant portal, inclusive of self-help centers and websites 

The project team is currently exploring the 

development of an implementation guide that 

will enable key stakeholders to implement 

these protocols through online portals. Topics 

for the planned implementation guide may 

include: resources required, sequential implementation tasks, governance, integration and 

information requirements, and how to best 

make litigants aware of the portal so they may 

access services. 

The report, titled, Triage Protocols for Litigant Portals: A Coordinated Strategy Between 

Courts and Service Providersis available 

through the NCSC Library’s eCollection and 

via their online Self-Representation Resource 

Guide. 

Triage Protocols for Litigant Portals 

Each section addresses common issues and 

barriers to triage, as well as the most frequently applied policies and available resources. Specific information tailored to each 

section addresses the perspective of the individual stakeholder and seeks to identify elements of the triage critical to all parties. 

Applicable to multiple SJI Priority Investment 

Areas, this report offers stakeholders more 

detailed information and recommendations in 

the areas of self-represented litigation, state 

court reengineering, and the application of the 

protocols to improve access to limited English 

proficient (LEP) populations. While many 

jurisdictions already engage in some form of 

triage, the focus of this report is to: 

1) Provide guidance on full integration of 

the court, litigant, and service providers 

as stakeholders; 

2) Advance mechanisms for standardization 

of triage protocols; and, 

SJI Releases FY 2014 Grant Guideline 

SJI recently released the new Grant Guideline for FY 2014. The Grant Guideline appears as part of the 

National Archives and Records Administration’s Federal Register, and sets forth the administrative, programmatic, and financial requirements for applying and administering SJI grants. 
Page 3 

SJI Board of Directors

Chairman 

James R. Hannah 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Arkansas 

Little Rock, AR 

Vice Chairman 

Daniel J. Becker 

State Court Administrator 

Utah AOC 

Salt Lake City, UT 

Secretary 

Gayle A. Nachtigal 

Senior Circuit Court Judge 

Washington County Circuit Court 

Hillsboro, OR 

Treasurer 

Hernan D. Vera 

President & CEO 

Public Counsel Law Center 

Los Angeles, CA 

Chase T. Rogers 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Connecticut 

Hartford, CT 

Jonathan Lippman 

Chief Judge of the State of New York 

New York Court of Appeals 

New York, NY 

David V. Brewer 

Justice 

Oregon Supreme Court 

Salem, OR 

Wilfredo Martinez 

County Judge 

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida 

Orlando, FL 

Marsha J. Rabiteau 

Executive Director 

Legal Policy Strategies Group 

Bloomfield, CT 

John B. Nalbandian 

Partner 

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP 

Cincinnati, OH 

Isabel Framer 

President 

Language Access Consultants, LLC 

Copley, OH

Jonathan D. Mattiello 

Executive Director 

The State Justice Institute is a federallyfunded, non-profit corporation established by 

federal law in 1984 to improve the quality of 

justice in the state courts. 

E-SJI News Volume 24, No. 2 November 2013 

Review of Courthouse Violence with Focus on 

Preparedness and Security 

Developed with support from SJI, the National 

Center for State Courts (NCSC) recently released a report titled, Courthouse Violence in 

2010-2012, Lessons Learned (SJI-13-T-089). 

Through review of six tragic incidents of violence in court facilities or on premises occurring between December 2011 and February 

2013, the report provides judges, court administrators, and security officers with a tool that 

catalyzes preparedness and planning. 

The report was written with the assistance of 

several state court judges and administrators 

who shared their experiences and voiced lessons they had learned first-hand from recent 

security incidents. These jurisdictions were 

represented by rural, urban, and most frequently, suburban communities located in 

South Carolina, Minnesota, Washington, Oklahoma, Delaware, and Arkansas. 

The report reveals four key lessons learned, 

they include: 

1) Everything during a violent courthouse 

incident happens unbelievably fast. 

2) It may not be possible to prevent a violent 

incident, but there may be “indicators” to 

look for in advance of the incident. 

3) There are obvious needs for certain security measures, and courts need to be proactive in making sure those measures are 

in place. 

4) There must be a focus on the impact of 

these incidents on court staff and their 

families. 

Recommendations addressing each of these 

lessons learned, with input from NCSC Court 

security experts are included in the report. 

They provide valuable considerations for state 

courts to consider as they evaluate their emergency plans. 

The report is available through the NCSC Library eCollection.