Post Conference Recap
Opening Plenary: Chief Justice De Muniz
by Lee Ann Barnhardt

Oregon Chief Justice Paul De Muniz delivered the opening plenary session of the 32nd National Association of State Judicial Educators Conference held Aug 12-15 in Portland. He addressed the importance of judicial education in maintaining the delicate balance among the three branches of government.

De Muniz explained that our constitutional democracy is not self-sustaining and must be nurtured from generation to generation. He said while the other two branches of government acquiesce to judicial power, the judicial branch can’t fund its own operations or enforce them on its own. The power of the judiciary, he said, comes from the majority of Americans believing in the impartiality of the courts and having confidence in the courts.

According to De Muniz, the greatest challenge facing the judicial branch is maintaining public confidence in its institutional integrity. He pointed out three trends that have the potential to erode that confidence: 1) Attacks on the court system intended to blur the distinction between judicial and political accountability; 2) Massive influx of special interest financing of judicial campaigns; and 3) Loosening of ethical constraints in judicial campaigns.

Education of the judges, court staff, and the public is essential to maintaining public confidence. De Muniz said judicial educators need to educate judges in order to maintain their competency and need to advance into the community and provide public outreach programs.

“Judges come to the bench with less breadth of experience than in the past. Lawyers are no longer generalist and the younger generation lacks experience in certain areas of the law,” De Muniz said. “Educators have to fill in their education so they can competently handle all types of cases.”

He said education for judges also needs to address working with self-represented litigants and the changing needs of children, and that public outreach education is an essential piece of the puzzle.

“Civic education is often seen as external to the courts, but the responsibility resides with us,” he said. “We know how important an educated electorate is and it is up to us to educate the public about the courts.”

De Muniz added that judges also have an obligation to be out in the community educating the public.

“There are tremendous opportunities to partner with others to educate the public, students, and teachers,” he said.

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