Midyear Report

Midyear Report

Judicial Family Institute Scottsdale , Arizona

January 2009

Isabel Picó Vidal, Chair

Arizona´s spectacular view of mountains and desert

Judicial Family Institute 2

JFI Mission Statement

The Judicial Family Institute (JFI) is dedicated to providing information and education on

issues of concern and importance to judicial family

members.


WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS

1. Set JFI Priority Goals and Agenda For Each Committee

(2008-2010)


JFI Priority Goals (2008-2010)

First: Update our website, the source of important information for our community of judges and their families.

Second: Insert the purposed of JFI in revised State Code of Judicial Conduct.

Third: Use our website to address such wellness issues as substance abuse, eating disorder and stress.

Fourth: Keep our community aware of diverse risks at home and on the web.


WEBSITE Chair: Jan Aikman Dickson (ID)Advisors: Roslyn Smith (MD) Ilona Holland (OE)

Broaden and enliven the use and appeal of website.

Expand JFI web presence among judges, their families and judicial educators

Work on the graphics and layout revision of JFI website.

Approve policies and procedures to maintain accurate and currents information on judicial family programs

Increase posting new articles and options for website graphics update

Work with JFI Chair on organizational chart and timetable for the Website Committee.

Request website hit statistics from NCSC twice yearly to report to JFI.

Submit new articles to various committee chairs on topics such as political stress, finances, career changes, judges’ children and others

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STATES PROGRAM Chair: Isabel Picó Vidal (PR)Advisor: Ruth Newcomer (OH) Mary Moyer (OH)

Track states, territories and commonwealths judicial family programs.

Update the list of liaisons from each state, territory or commonwealth and encourage states without a contact to select one.

Define role of liaisons and inform them what exactly JFI expects of them.

Encourage state liaisons to increase our readership, encourage programming and report on what’s happening in their jurisdiction.

Nurture the connections with the state liaisons by sending information to them on a regular basis.

Send same updates to the Chief Justices since they are the ones who allow programs to begin in their states as well as support already established programming for judicial families.

Work on organizational chart and timetable for the States Program Committee.

Judicial Family Institute


HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE Chair: George Durham, M.D. (UT)Member: Seymour Abrahamson (WI)

Increase posting of new articles on JFI website on health and wellness issues, such as substance abuse, eating disorders and stress.

Inventory assistance programs for judges and their families.

Authorizes posting of articles on health and quality of life to be added to the JFI website.


ETHICS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Chair: Sandra Chavez (NM)

Insert the purpose of JFI into revision of state judicial codes.

Increase posting of new articles on JFI website.

Plan a program for Chief Justices and spouses on ethical concerns of judicial families.


POLITICAL LIFE Chair: Pat Hannah, Esq. (AR)

Review articles on how judges’ households approach campaigns for judicial elections.

Authorizes posting of articles on political life to be added to the JFI website.

Share information for all judicial households whether appellate or trial on ideas for coping with the realities and stresses of political campaigns on judicial families.

Educate judicial family members on ethical rules on family’s political activity.

Increase publication of articles on these topics on the JFI website

Plan a program for Chief Justices and spouses on judicial elections and stresses of political campaigns on judicial families.


SECURITYChair: Polly Seto Richardson (HI)Member: Linda Titus (NV)Advisor: Claudia Fernandes (CA)

Increase awareness and JFI articles on new security risks on the home front and the internet.

Authorizes posting of articles on security to be added to the JFI website


LAW AND LITERATURE Chair: Christine Alexander (WA)

In consultation with the Executive Committee and National Center for State Courts shall plan the program for the Law and Literature sessions to be held during the conferences of Chief Justices.

Coordinate Law and Literature Activity with CCJ/COSCA Planning Meeting Committee for Annual and Midyear Conferences.

Review proposal submitted to Committee Chair on inviting John Grishan, author of The Appeal to the CCJ Midyear Meeting 2010 to be held in Virgin Islands.


Section 6 of this guideline proposes that:

JFI will take the lead in identifying speakers and will send suggestions to Chair and vice-Chair of CCJ/COSCA Meeting Planning Committee and to Chief Justice of the host state at least 12 months in advance for consideration.

A local author will most frequently be the option even if not of national stature.

Generally, speakers will not receive honoraria.

Final approval of Law and Literature Speakers rests with the CCJ/COSCA Meeting Planning committee.

Expenses for Law and Literature will be item in the overall annual budget meeting, as suggested by JFI Chair of the Law and Literature Committee, Christine Alexander.

Proposed CCJ/COSCA Meeting Planning Guidelines on Law and Literature


Join the Discussion on JFI’s Future

Tell us what you’d like JFI to do and in which direction JFI should go.

Send your ideas and feedback to

onlinewithjfi gmail.com


2. Development of an Effective Communication Strategy for JFI

State Liaisons

ChiefJustices

COSCA Administrators

Judicial Educators

Online with the Judicial Family Institute

E-NEWSLETTERincreases communication

within judicial community.

Judicial Families


E-NEWSLETTER by sending information on a regular basis it nurtures connections with judicial families


JFI Members Only http://jfi.ncsconline.org/

A password protected section on the JFI website makes reports and documents available to JFI

members.


• A DVD on “21st Judicial Family Institute Anniversary” with photos of JFI founders, including Mary Moyer, Jan Dickson, Barbara George, and Seymour Abrahamson, was presented at the Law and Literature Session and the Anchorage Business Meeting (2008) to celebrate our anniversary, our coming of age.

• A tribute to Jan Aikman Dickson slide presentation was also prepared in appreciation of her outstanding work as JFI Chair, her spirit of service and leadership with inspiring messages from JFI members, Chief Justices and the president of NCSC.

Messages like these are the sort of gifts that encourage us to

“keep on keeping on”…


3. Established working relationship with national organizations promoting judicial family education

National Association of Judicial Educators (NASJE)− Claudia Fernandes, president of NASJE attended JFI Anchorage

Meeting and will be speaker at the Scottsdale meeting. JFI e-newsletter is distributed to NASJE members by NCSC.

National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ)− Hon. Fernande Duffly, president of NAWJ served as our

parliamentarian at our last meeting and was again invited to this meeting.

American Bar Association (ABA)− Received and accepted invitation of the American Bar

Association (ABA) to participate in the ABA Judicial Assistance Initiative (JAI) to develop a model program for judicial assistance programs.


Conference of Chief Justices and Court Administrators

− JFI Chair attended the CCJ/COSCA Meeting Planning Committee on Nov. 19, 2008 to help plan the agenda for the midyear conference in Scottsdale, Arizona and the annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

− As an organization, JFI offered ideas and suggestions for proposed CCJ/COSCA Annual Meeting Guidelines to be submitted for CCJ approval at this Scottsdale Meeting.

− JFI Chair also presented an educational program for Chief Justices and their spouses on the impact of the electoral process on judicial families to be co-sponsored with the Past Presidents Committee. The proposal Judicial Families and Judicial Campaigns is presently submitted to be scheduled for an upcoming meeting in 2010 or 2011.

What’s next…JFI expects to work on these tasks in the months ahead:

Update content and redesign graphics display of our website.

Establish direct links to State Programs and mechanisms to increase visits and return visits to our website.

Review and schedule proposal on Judicial Campaign and Judicial Families, a joint program of JFI and the CCJ Past President’s Committee.

Track state adoption of new codes of judicial conduct and acquaint family members with judicial family ethical issues.


What’s next…cont.

Update data on judicial family programs in different jurisdictions; define the role of liaisons; encourage them to increase our readership; and evaluate Ohio’s proposal for a national meeting of state liaisons.

Prepare and e-mail two new issues of “Online with the Judicial Family Institute”. The third issue will be devoted to the JFI website and the Ohio Judicial Family Network.

Health Committee will participate and inform on the ABA Judicial Assistance Initiative (JAI)



Organize ad-hoc Planning Committee for Santa Fe Meeting to help JFI plan activities including:

– Selection of speaker and scheduling of JFI Law and Literature Session with Chair of Law and Literature Committee, Chief Justice hosting CCJ Conference and CCJ/COSCA Meeting Planning Committee.

– Coordination with NCSC for technical equipment needed for JFI meetings and selection and reproduction of handouts.

– Serve as liaison with New Mexico hosts.


“As we move into the New Year I would like to personally express my gratitude for your

continued relationship with JFI. Earning and retaining your trust is important for me.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you as JFI Chair.”

Isabel Picó-Vidal

JFI Chair

Midyear Report

Documents

Transcript of Midyear Report