SJI NEWSLETTER 

In this Issue 

Page 1 

Volume 28, No. 2 

Becker Inducted into 

Burger Society 

1 

Court Privacy Policy 

White Paper 

2 

Managing High-Profile 

Cases Website 

2 

Family Justice Initiative 3 

November 2017 

Earlier this month, SJI Vice Chair Daniel Becker was 

among five state court professionals inducted into the 

Warren E. Burger Society. Burger Society 

membership is reserved 

for individuals who have 

volunteered their time, 

talent, and support to the 

National Center for State 

Courts (NCSC) in exceptional ways. 

Mr. Becker worked for 

the North Carolina Administrative Office of the 

Courts serving in the 

positions of: Deputy 

Director (1993-1995); 

Court Services Administrator (1986-1993); and 

Assistant to the Director 

(1984-1986). He also held the position of Trial Court 

Administrator for the Fourteenth Judicial District of 

North Carolina, and Assistant Director of Operations 

for the Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts. 

From 2004 to 2005, he served as President 

of the Conference of State Court Administrators and Vice Chair of the Board of 

Directors of the National Center for State 

Courts. Mr. Becker was the recipient of 

the 2006 Warren E. Burger Award for 

Excellence in Judicial Administration. He 

was initially appointed to the State Justice 

Institute (SJI) Board of Directors in 2010, 

and currently serves as Vice Chair. He is 

the newly retired Utah state court adminisDaniel Becker Inducted Into Burger Society 

Products and 

Resources

Since 2011, SJI has designated 

the library at the National Center 

for State Courts as the official 

repository of published work 

related to SJI-supported grant 

projects. You can search the 

ecollection online by using the 

keywords, State Justice Institute. 

trator, a position he held since 1995. Conference of 

Chief Justices (CCJ) President, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor (OH) and NCSC 

President Mary McQueen presided 

over the ceremony. 

Joining Mr. Becker in the celebration were SJI Board of Directors 

Chief Justice John Minton (KY), 

Chief Justice and SJI Board Chair 

Chase Rogers (CT), Ms. Marsha 

Rabiteau, President of the Center 

for Human Trafficking Court Solutions, and SJI Executive Director 

Jonathan Mattiello. 

The Burger Society is named for 

the former Chief Justice of the U.S. 

Supreme Court, who, with the Conference of Chief Justices, helped 

found NCSC in 1971. 

A press release with full details of the other recipients and the award presentation can be found online. 
Page 2 

SJI Newsletter Volume 28, No. 2 November 2017 

Best Practices for Court Privacy Policy Formulation 

Earlier this year, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) conducted 

two focus groups, one specifically focused on privacy policies and the 

other on automated redaction. The product of these focus groups is a 

white paper titled, “Best Practices for Court Privacy Policy Formulation.” 

Prepared with support from SJI, the document outlines how privacy policies and redaction capabilities should be considered in concert with each 

other as state courts refine this business practice. 

Court privacy policy was an area last addressed in 2002 by the Conference 

of State Court Administrators (COSCA) in the report titled, “Developing 

CCJ/COSCA Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records: A National 

Project to Assist State Courts.” An update review was necessary given that 

technology and transparency has both improved over the past 15 years. 

The report includes a broad examination of the issues surrounding privacy, 

including public attitudes towards openness, accountability, and the value 

of data gleaned. It also addresses specific cost/benefits of court technology used in automated redaction and risk averse strategy to accomplish the 

challenges associated with a comprehensive privacy policy. Limited examples of courts in other counties utilizing automated redaction technology with greater efficiency are highlighted. 

The report features four appendices that update, expand, or define for the 

first time, work from the seminal 2002 white paper. 

High-Profile Cases Website Updated 

Through a collaborative effort between the Conference of Court Public Information Officers (CCPIO) , National Center for State Courts 

(NCSC), The National Judicial College (NJC) , and the State Justice 

Institute (SJI), the Managing High-Profile Cases for the 21st Century 

Initiative has recently updated its website. 

Updated content includes the Recent Cases section, and checklists 

under the Litigation Stage section. Please contact Greg Hurley 

at ghurley@ncsc.org with any questions regarding the website or 

resources featured. 
Page 3 

SJI Board of Directors

Chair 

Chase T. Rogers 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Connecticut 

Hartford, CT 

Vice Chair

Daniel J. Becker 

State Court Administrator (ret.) 

Utah AOC 

Salt Lake City, UT 

Secretary 

Gayle A. Nachtigal 

Senior Circuit Court Judge 

Washington County Circuit Court 

Hillsboro, OR 

Treasurer 

John B. Nalbandian 

Partner 

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP 

Cincinnati, OH 

Jonathan Lippman 

Chief Judge of New York (ret.) 

Of Counsel 

Latham & Watkins, LLP 

New York, NY 

John D. Minton, Jr. 

Chief Justice 

Supreme Court of Kentucky 

Frankfort, KY 

David V. Brewer 

Justice 

Oregon Supreme Court 

Salem, OR 

Wilfredo Martinez 

County Judge 

9th Judicial Circuit of Florida 

Orlando, FL 

Marsha J. Rabiteau 

President & CEO 

Center for HT Court Solutions 

Bloomfield, CT 

Hernan D. Vera 

Principal 

Bird Marella P.C. 

Los Angeles, CA 

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. 

SJI Newsletter Volume 28, No. 2 November 2017 

Family Justice Initiative 

Addresses Domestic Relations Cases 

Many Americans will be or are involved in state courts via domestic relations cases (e.g. divorce, separation, child custody, child support, etc.). 

Many states are reporting increases in these types of cases, along with increases in litigants who are representing themselves. While the state 

courts, Access to Justice Commissions, and other key stakeholders are beginning to examine and implement best practices and programs to address these cases, there is limited information available about what works. 

The SJI-funded Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) Civil Justice Initiative purposefully excluded domestic relations cases from its work, recognizing that these case types are sufficiently different from general civil cases to warrant independent analysis and recommendations. What has 

become clear is that recommendations are needed to address domestic relations cases and guide state courts towards managing resources and 

improving outcomes. 

With SJI support, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), and 

the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), in partnership with the CCJ/COSCA Courts, Children, and Families Subcommittee, will assess the current landscape of domestic relations cases, and promulgate recommendations to improve proceedings, rules, and 

practices. The Family Justice Initiative will consist of three phases: 1) Assess the Landscape and Best Practices; 2) Engineer Pathways and Development of Recommendations; and 3) Implementation and Evaluation. The Family Justice Initiative will focus primarily on cases involving 

divorce/dissolution, property distribution and spousal support, and the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities. Cases that originated in 

criminal, probate or juvenile courts will be excluded from FJI.