Volume 24, No. 1 October 2013 

E-SJI NEWS SJI NEWS

In this Issue 

Executive Session for 

State Court Leaders 

1 

Human Trafficking and 

the State Courts 

2 

Models for Change 

Symposium 

2 

A National Call to 

Action for Language 

Access 

3 

Page 1 

Executive Session for State Court Leaders 

The Harvard Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century has released ten papers in 

total, with more planned for the future. 

Supported by SJI, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, 

and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), this 

project enabled state court leaders to discuss and 

develop ways to address the challenges facing the 

courts. The products of this effort are individual 

papers by members of Executive Session. 

The most recent paper, Sustainable Court Governance: The Critical Role of Strategic Management is 

now available.

Forthcoming papers include: 

The Politics of Restraint: State Court Leaders in 

the 21st Century 

Judicial Budgeting - The Separation of Powers 

and Institutional Independence 

A Fair Trial in the 21st Century 

Judicial Independence and the State Court 

Funding Crisis 

A complete catalog of the published papers is available online. Included with each paper is a brief video 

introduction of the topic addressed by the authors, as 

well as reflections on its importance to state court 

leadership.

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. 
E-SJI News Volume 24, No. 1 October 2013

Page 2 

Last month, SJI Board member Chief Judge 

Jonathan Lippman announced a new statewide 

initiative in New York, the first of its kind in 

the United States, which establishes Human 

Trafficking Intervention Courts. SJI established Human Trafficking and the State Courts 

as a Priority Investment Area in FY 2013, and 

is working to provide the state courts with 

information and resources to address this critical issue. 

The New York initiative will work to curb 

arrests of victims and trafficking activity by 

intervening in the lives of trafficked men, 

women, and children. Like other states, New 

York has observed that human trafficking 

most commonly presents itself in the form of 

sex trafficking. This new program targets 

cases involving individuals charged with prostitution-related offenses in an effort to identify 

and assist sex trafficking victims. Recruitment 

into this profession by force, fraud, and coercion exists among immigrants and U.S. citizens. 

process. Models for Change has supported 

counties and states in reforming the way they 

treat juveniles who have committed crimes. 

Local officials say that Models for Change has 

helped them improve public safety and support 

juveniles, even as they grapple with tight 

budgets and tough fiscal decisions. 

The Symposium event provided court leaders 

and their partners with the opportunity to advance beyond baseline knowledge of juvenile 

justice issues and challenged those present to 

collaborate on a national level, as well as use 

conversations on key juvenile justice reforms to 

further creative, integrated solutions. 

A summary of proceedings, materials, case 

summaries, and other useful resources can be 

found online through JMI. Additional collaboration between the partners is planned in the 

future, including convening future learning 

opportunities; and, continuing to develop resources for state court leaders through the four 

new Models for Change Resource Centers . 

Justice Management Institute Hosts Models For 

Change Court Leadership Program 

tional Judicial Education Program’s (NJEP) 

Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse: Adjudicating 

This Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence 

Cases, to add a learning module specific to 

human trafficking issues. Jurisdictions and 

national court support organizations developing human trafficking-related projects to address multiple dimensions of this issue are 

encouraged to consult with SJI before submitting a proposal. 

In early October 2013, the Justice Management Institute (JMI) hosted the Models for 

Change Court Leadership Program. The Symposium, titled “What State Courts Can Do to 

Promote Juvenile Justice Reform,” was cohosted by the National Center for State Courts 

(NCSC), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), 

and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur 

Foundation. 

Models for Change supports a network of 

government and court officials, legal advocates, educators, community leaders, and families working together to ensure that kids who 

make mistakes are held accountable and 

treated fairly throughout the juvenile justice 

Human Trafficking and the State Courts 

SJI’s Human Trafficking and the State Courts 

Priority Investment Area seeks Project, Technical Assistance, and Curriculum Adaptation 

and Training grants that evaluate the impact of 

federal and state immigration and human trafficking laws and policies, address juvenile and 

family issues, and provide training to judges 

and court staff. 

In addition to supporting the establishment of 

the Human Trafficking and the State Courts 

Collaborative, SJI has worked with the Na-
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. 1 October 2013 

A National Call to Action Serves as a Valuable 

Resource for Ensuring Language Access 

If you have attended the recent Court Technology 

Conference (CTC), you may likely have been 

greeted by the National Call to Action display. 

Staffed by NCSC team members, this display 

marks the availability of key resources to address 

access to justice, limited English proficiency (LEP), 

and cases involving self-represented litigants, including the recently released publication, A National Call to Action - Access to Justice for Limited 

English Proficient Litigants: Creating Solutions to 

Language Barriers in State Courts.

Supported by SJI, the National Call to Action is 

designed to provide a road map to jurisdictions as 

they work toward improving services to LEP litigants (SJI-12-P-015).