NCJ Number
94352
Journal
Judges' Journal Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1984) Pages: 22-25
Date Published
1984
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the standards, guidelines, and procedures used by Kansas and Phoenix, Ariz.,to reduce court delay, with emphasis on attempts to win support for reforms from colleagues.
Abstract
In 1980, the Kansas Supreme Court required each case to be managed by a judge and set time standards as a guide for case disposition. It held the court responsible for controlling the pace of litigation and accepting responsibility for improving case processing time. To implement the guidelines, a publicity campaign was generated to garner support. Progress made toward meeting goals is continuously publicized, both internally and externally. Internally, statewide reduction statistics are routinely featured in a monthly employee newsletter, and laudatory letters are sent to judges administering the reforms. The internal incentive program emphasizes letting judges know how their peers are doing and encouraging competition. An annual report is sent to judges, schools, legislators, and the media. The program is publicized externally through news releases, media conferences, and radio and television programs. The Phoenix program, designed by judges and attorneys, attempted to reduce filing-to-trial time from well over 2 years to 1 year. The program determined that the court would control the pace of litigation from the moment of filing and would constantly monitor the pace and strictly control continuances, and all cases would be tried on a fixed date. In the 1-year experiment, the four project judges reduced their caseloads by 36 percent compared to a 4-percent reduction by the nonproject judges. The median case processing time is now 8 months, with trials at 15 months. The critical support of lawyers, judicial administrators, secretaries, and others was indispensable.