FY09 Budget Process Underway
Chief Justice Margaret Marshall and Chief Justice Robert Mulligan presented the Trial Court’s FY09 budget request to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways and Means at a hearing in February. They responded to a wide range of questions for more than two hours. Since then, they have continued to meet with legislative leaders and staff members to reinforce the importance of the proposed budget. On April 16th, the House Ways and Means Committee issued budget recommendations that are positive for the Trial Court.

 

 

Relocation Completed for One Court; Construction & Planning Continued for Others
The Middlesex County Superior Court completed a successful move to a newly built facility in Woburn on March 17. More than 100 employees and court users attended an opening event to note the record time for building and occupying this new space. Planning continued on possible alternate space for the Cambridge District Court and on the design of new court buildings in Salem and Taunton. Construction continued for the new courthouse in Fall River for the District and Superior Courts.

 

 

MassCourts Moving Forward in Probate and Family Court; Pilots underway with RMV
TCIS began Model Office testing and met with the Registers in March, as part of the introduction of MassCourts in the Probate and Family Court. Train the Trainer sessions will follow the testing process.

Pilot projects in the Ayer District Court and the East Boston Division of the Boston Municipal Court are underway to automatically produce the appropriate forms for cases disposed in court that day requiring notification to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The pilots are the first stage of a process to fully automate the daily transmission of relevant information to the Registry.

 

 

Training Planned on Revised Sexual and Gender Harassment Policy
Manager training is planned to review the revised Policy for Sexual and Gender Harassment issued in February. More than 20 sessions will be scheduled to accommodate the approximately 1,000 managers who serve in a supervisory role and should understand the responsibilities and procedures outlined in the policy. All employees with questions on the policy can contact the Office of Gender Issues in the Human Resources Department.

 

 

New Management Initiatives

 

Access and Fairness Survey Launched
Court users responded positively to the request for feedback as more than 300 people completed surveys at the Worcester Trial Court in late March. In 2008, use of this nationally-developed questionnaire will be introduced in all court departments. Use of the survey also has been planned for the Plymouth and Brockton Trial Courts in April; the Springfield Hall of Justice, Brooke Courthouse and Suffolk Superior Court in May; and the multi-department courts in Salem, Lawrence and Barnstable in June.

 

 

New Metric on File Integrity to be Piloted
The Boston Municipal Court has formed an implementation team to pilot the CourTool developed by the National Center for State Courts on the Reliability and Integrity of Case Files. This tool measures the percentage of files that can be retrieved within established time standards and that meet standards for completeness and accuracy, since the maintenance of accurate case records directly affects the timeliness and integrity of case processing.

 

 

Dialogues on Court Practices Scheduled
Regional sessions called Open Dialogues on Court Practices have been scheduled in five sites across the state. The events, cosponsored by the Trial Court, the Court Management Advisory Board, the Mass. Bar Association and local bar associations, will begin May 29th at the George N. Covett Courthouse / Brockton Trial Court. Sessions also will take place in Lawrence (June 17), Boston (Sept. 17), Springfield (Oct. 2) and Worcester (Oct. 16).

 

 

Fifth Anniversary of Monan Report Marked
More than 300 court employees and community leaders attended a symposium to mark the fifth anniversary of the issuance of the Monan Report, which identified a significant number of court management issues. The February event, sponsored by the Court Management Advisory Board, noted management reforms introduced since the report and identified the need for continued improvement of court practices. The program included a keynote address by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, a panel on organizational change with legal and business leaders and a video featuring court employees commenting on the impact of recent management initiatives on court operations.

 

Return to Home Page