FY09 Budget Update In May the Senate recommended a FY09 budget of $599.75 million, which was very close to the recommended House budget. In June, the budget went to the Conference Committee for final review. The Conference Committee Report is expected shortly. Then both legislative bodies will vote whether to accept the Report and, if approved, the budget will be sent to the Governor for action.   In addition, the Trial Court has requested a FY08 supplemental budget to address a deficit of $4.6 million. The Trial Court and Local 6 also continue to work with the Legislature to gain approval for funding of the three-year contract signed earlier this year.     Chief Justices Meeting Held in Barnstable Chief Justice Margaret Marshall and the Trial Court Chief Justices visited Barnstable County in June to attend the Annual Meeting of the Barnstable County Bar Association, which honored retiring Judges Robert Terry and Robert Welsh. They also met with members of the local legislative delegation, the District Attorney, Sheriff, judges and court department heads; visited courthouses to meet with more than 100 employees in four court departments; and held their monthly meeting.     MassCourts Launched in Probate and Family Court; TCIS Upgrades Other Software * MassCourts implementation reached a new milestone with a successful June launch in the Plymouth Division of the Probate and Family Court. Staff from TCIS, the Administrative Office of the Probate and Family Court, AOTC Fiscal, and Maximus worked together to implement the cutover of this first pilot division in the Probate and Family Court. Register Robert McCarthy and his staff now are utilizing MassCourts for routine business in Plymouth and Brockton. The Essex Division will be the second pilot court in this department. Now, five Trial Court departments and Probation use this software, with more than 1,000 employees signing on to MassCourts each business day.   * TCIS has activated a new version of Scalix Web Access software, which significantly improves the product’s performance. Mailbox load time has improved by 80 percent and the time to execute other functions also has improved. Details of the changes are posted on the Trial Court intranet.     AntiVirus software upgrades also are underway throughout the Trial Court, one division at a time. Through the summer, courts will be asked to leave their systems on overnight to enable remote deployment of a new version of Symantec AntiVirus software, which will provide the maximum protection possible.     Annual Reports Issued by Court Management Advisory Board and Trial Court * The third Annual Report of the Court Management Advisory Board was issued to summarize progress by the Trial Court in the area of management reform and on recommendations made in the Monan Report. The Report details a number of the Board’s activities and focuses on the Trial Court’s efforts on performance measurements and MassCourts.   * The Trial Court issued its second annual Court Metrics Report, which provided data for calendar year 2007 on four CourTool metrics that target timely case management. Overall, the Trial Court achieved a 101.5 percent clearance rate, disposed of 85.8 percent of cases within established time standards, reduced the number of cases pending beyond time standards by 15.9 percent (a two-year reduction of 100,000 cases), and conducted 81.8 percent of all trials by the second trial date. The report analyzes the results and compares them with those in 2006.     Access and Fairness Survey Update As of June 30th, court users at 36 courthouses, including the large, multi-department courts, have had the opportunity to complete an Access and Fairness Survey developed by the National Center for State Courts and modified for the Massachusetts Trial Court. More than 3,200 surveys have been received this year, in addition to the 1,500 surveys completed by Boston Municipal Court users in 2007. An additional 26 court locations will be surveyed during the summer.   An interdepartmental implementation team communicates with court leaders at each location to explain the process and respond to questions. The survey responses are compiled and provided to each courthouse shortly after they are completed. Each court department is developing an after-action plan to utilize the data received.     Case File Metric Introduced The Boston Municipal Court has completed its pilot initiative to use the CourTool metric on the Reliability and Integrity of Case Files at all eight divisions. This tool measures the percentage of files that can be retrieved within certain timeframes and that meet standards for completeness and accuracy. The implementation team reviewed 200 cases at each courthouse with equal numbers of active and inactive civil and criminal cases. They have delivered a presentation to the Chief Justices and soon will issue a full report on their process and results.     Green Team Launched The Trial Court has formed a Green Team / Energy Committee of representatives from all court departments, which has developed a mission statement and formed three subcommittees to focus on energy conservation, recycling and education. In FY08, fuel and electricity costs for the Trial Court will exceed $20 million. In partnership with the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and the Division of Energy Resources, the committee is focusing on energy management and energy savings strategies. Education efforts through web surveys and e-newsletters will encourage all court employees to begin energy saving practices for their lights and computers.     Judicial Institute Conducts Busy Spring Training Program Continuing education and professional development opportunities provided this spring by the Judicial Institute included departmental conferences for six Trial Court Departments, developed in collaboration with the Administrative Offices of those Departments. The programs included a wide range of topics such as courtroom management, sentencing, parole, gangs and drug trafficking, as well as in-depth examination of issues that arise in civil cases. In addition, a multi-session program on issuing criminal complaints and conducting show cause hearings was developed in collaboration with the Education Committee of the Association of Magistrates and Assistant Clerks and the Administrative Office of the District Court.     Training Underway on Revised Sexual and Gender Harassment Policy Manager training to review the revised Policy for Sexual and Gender Harassment began with three pilot sessions in June and will continue with approximately 20 sessions through the fall and winter. The training will include approximately 1,000 managers who serve in a supervisory role to familiarize them with the responsibilities and procedures outlined in the policy. Any employee who has a question about the policy may contact the Coordinator for Gender Issues within the Human Resources Department of the AOTC.     Dialogues on Court Practices Held More than 200 members of the bar attended two regional Open Dialogues on Court Practices co-sponsored by the Trial Court, the Court Management Advisory Board, the Massachusetts Bar Association and local bar associations. The chief justices along with local judges, court leaders and staff attended the events held at Brockton’s George Covett Courthouse in May and the Fenton Judicial Center in Lawrence in June. Breakout sessions for each court department encouraged candid and productive discussion on a range of court practices. Additional sessions will be held in Boston (Sept. 17), Springfield (Oct. 2) and Worcester (Oct. 16).     Facility Upgrades Continue * Lowell legislative leaders held a press conference in June to mark agreement among state and city officials on a site for the new Lowell Trial Court. The $175 million project will include 16 courtrooms and serve five court departments. Next steps include formal transfer of the site from the city, demolition of the existing structures, and design of the new courthouse. Funding for the project will be provided through the General Government Bond Bill that was filed by Governor Patrick and is currently before the Legislature. Construction of the Salem and Taunton projects will precede construction in Lowell.   * Construction workers at the site of the new Fall River Trial Court recently participated in a traditional topping off ceremony to mark the placement of the final steel beams for the structure. The nine-room courthouse, which will serve the District and Superior Courts, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.   * The Trial Court has signed a multi-year lease for space in Medford to house the Cambridge District Court. The lease calls for renovations of the space to be completed this year.     Uniform Trial Transcript Introduced The Office of Transcription Services with the guidance of the AOTC Working Group on Trial Transcripts issued a new uniform format for trial transcripts. The new Uniform Transcript Format (UTF) developed with input from members of the bar, court reporters and court transcribers took effect June 30th. The SJC Committee on Time Standards for Court Reporters also provided guidance in this effort.     Special Security Response Teams Formed Two Special Situation Response Teams (SSRT) -- for the eastern and western areas of the state -- have been formed by the Security Department to enhance security operations. The specially-trained teams are available upon request to assist all courts with custody, escort, arraignment and trials of individuals or multiple defendants. Officers on these teams have attended extensive training and received certification from the Massachusetts Police Training Council. Since formation, the SSRTs have provided support for two trials and eight arraignments.     Return to Home Page