NCJ Number
81762
Date Published
Unknown
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The 1981 annual report of the American Judicature Society (AJS), an organization committed to nationwide court improvement, is presented.
Abstract
Through its research, educational programs, and publications, the AJS has become a vital force for improving the administration of justice in America since the Society's founding in 1913. In its early years, the AJS drafted and promoted model plans for court unification, encouraged the courts to make broader use of the rulemaking power to manage the court system, and worked to reduce delay. Now that many States have adopted significant reforms in all these areas, AJS has assumed the role of evaluating these programs. In 1981, such evaluation involved the investigation of programs that four courts had implemented to reduce case-processing time. The Society also concluded a 3-year study of misdemeanor courts. Using data generated by this study, sentencing practices in misdemeanor courts are being compared. The Society's journal presented the debate over the use of cameras in court. Building upon its study of the use of nominating commissions to select Federal judges, during 1981 AJS answered several hundred requests for information on judge selection, testified before State legislatures, and helped to draft executive orders establishing nominating commissions. The Society also engaged in activities to urge improvement in judicial compensation. AJS has also encouraged citizen involvement in the process by which State and Federal judges are selected and by which judicial conduct and disability are assessed. In 1981, AJS experienced a 26 percent increase in total income, the result of a 20 percent increase in the number of contributions from members and a 55 percent gain in corporate contributions. The names of donors are listed.