NASJE

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL NEWSLETTER

AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN, VI, VA, WV

Issue 2, Fall 2009

Welcome Message

From Marty Sullivan

Dear Southeast Region Members,

Summer is coming to a close here in Arkansas and the weather couldn�ft be better! I hope everyone has enjoyed the last few weeks since Asheville. I thought this year�fs conference was a resounding success and would like to acknowledge (again) the Education Committee, Jim Drennan, and his wonderful North Carolina staff for all the hard work they put in this year. I found the programming to be particularly good and am happy to say that Arkansas will be doing its first elder abuse training as a result of the annual meeting. I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did!

During the regional meeting in Asheville, the subject of a mid-year, regional meeting was discussed again. I am planning on speaking with Sherry Carson of Georgia and Keith Camp of Alabama in the next few days about tentatively scheduling the first Southeast regional meeting at the end of February 2010, somewhere on the Gulf coast. I know travel budgets have been slashed and everyone is feeling the pinch of funding short falls, but it is in times like these that we need to rely more upon each other. Ideas for pooling resources, interdependent programming, and educational partnerships will only result from increased contact and communal experiences. I promise to make this meeting as low cost and high benefit as possible. I feel strongly that it will become a valuable tool for each state�fs individual success.

This is our second newsletter and I want to emphasis again the importance of your involvement. I encourage your feedback and any contributions you would like to make in the form of articles, open letters, or project outlines. Just like we say to the judiciary that we need feedback in order to better serve them, this newsletter needs your interaction to make it useful to you.

I look forward to hearing from everyone regarding their fall programming and wish you all much success in what remains of 2009. 

Sincerely,

Marty Sullivan

Southeast Regional Director

marty.sullivan@arkansas.gov

(501) 682-9400

Interview with Martha Martin

Chief of Court Education, Florida

What is the history of your state�fs program?

Judicial Education has been in Florida since the early 1980s. Thereafter, the Florida legislature has funded the program through the Court Education Trust Fund, which is funded by a portion of filing fees.

Who does your office serve?

We serve all Florida trial and appellate judges. We have recently increased the number of non-judicial personnel whom we serve and have increased our audience significantly.

What are some of the interesting programs your office has held?

The number of programs varies by year. We do a Florida Judicial College for new judges, and a College of Advanced Judicial Studies for more experienced judges. We have conference education for county, circuit, and appellate judges. We are designing a web based distance learning program called �gCivics 101�h for non-Judicial personnel as well as helping fund various other programs which we do not design, but we can help fund.

What is your office�fs participation in NASJE?

I have served as a past co-chair of the Education committee, and I am still on that committee.  Susan Leseman has served as a Regional Director, and Blan Teagle, our Deputy State Courts Administrator, is a past president of NASJE. Currently, Jo Deyo serves on the newsletter committee.

How many staff members are in your office?

We have 18 staff members.

What are some challenges your office faces?

We have had to cancel a couple of programs because of the current economic situation. Thus, our main problem right now is how to provide enough sufficient and timely programs with the decrease in funding.

What are some future goals and plans for your office?

We would like to extend educational opportunities for non-Judicial personnel and increase leadership education opportunities for judges. �¡

Interview with Rich Reaves

Executive Director of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education, Georgia

What is the history of your state�fs program?

The history of our program is located on our website, www.uga.edu/icje

How many staff does your office have, and who do you serve in your state?

We have 7 full time and 2 part time personnel in our office. We serve all six classes of trial courts and court support personnel in Georgia.

How many programs does your office hold each year, and what are some interesting programs your office has held in the past?

We hold 40-50 programs/year which take up about 135 program days. Our annual report on our website has a complete list of the types of programs we hold each year.

What is your office�fs participation in NASJE?

Up until this year, someone in our office has served as Secretary-Treasurer for NASJE. I was president from 1986-1988, and prior to that I served as Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer. Currently, I serve on the International Training Committee, and am the only person from our staff serving on any committee in NASJE.

What are some of the concerns, issues, or challenges your office faces?

One of the issues that give us the most trouble is the class of courts system. All six different types of judges want to be trained separately, and do not want to be cross class trained on common issues such as evidence law and ethics. This is just a product of a resistant culture, and something we are working on. Another issue we deal with is a legislature which does not believe in Judicial Education. We have to fight for our funding each year.

What are some future goals and plans for your office?

Of course, surviving in the legislature is our number one goal. Also, we are working on a pilot program to offer online training via WebCT. In 2007, we started by offering one course. In 2008, we offered two courses and we will offer two again this year. Our goal for 2010 is to offer four to eight online courses.

If you would like to learn more about Florida�fs or Georgia�fs court structure, please visit http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/Ct_Struct/ .