In this edition of the judicial branch newsletter there is an article about the judicial council. So, this is a great opportunity for me to explain how the council helps me and the supreme court with the administrative part of our responsibilities. The judicial council is a direct conduit to judicial officers and judicial branch staff. As much as the justices enjoy visiting county courthouses and talking with judicial officers and judicial branch employees, there are times where we need quick information and feedback. That’s where the chief judges and district court administrators on the judicial council come into play.
During our quarterly judicial council meetings, we review the branch’s successes and opportunities for improvement. The judicial council is essential to implementing large statewide initiatives such as the rollout of the Electronic Document Management System and smaller ones such as introduction of new forms.
Two recent examples are the statewide implementation of distributive workload processes and reviewing the Lessons Learned Task Force Final report. Any time you see a task force or committee formed by the supreme court you should know that the judicial council was involved with recommending qualified individuals to serve as well as reviewing the reports or recommendations before a decision is made by the supreme court.
The judicial council was extremely important during 2020 and 2021 when we were continuously issuing COVID-19 protocols orders. No two courthouses in Iowa are the same and the issues faced by staff in rural courthouses are often very different from the challenges in a more populous county. We needed to hear from every county before we could implement safety measures to protect our staff and provide services to the public.
The Lessons Learned Task Force is another great example of the important work of the judicial council. The supreme court wanted to review the new, ingenious ways of approaching old procedures that were initiated during the first two years of the pandemic. We asked the task force to make recommendations to the supreme court on rules, polices, or practices that should be retained, modified, or stopped. I chaired the task force and served with three members of the judicial council, Kellyann Lekar, Chief Judge, First Judicial District, Waterloo; Kathy Gaylord, District Court Administrator, Seventh Judicial District, Davenport; and Chief Judge Bower of the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Serving on the task force was a rewarding experience for me as we reviewed all aspects of the services we provide to Iowans and really focused on the many ways you found to improve the way we provide those services. The recommendations of the task force went to the judicial council for review, then we requested public comment on those recommendations. Those public comments went back to the council for additional review before the final proposals went to the supreme court.
As the Lessons Learned Task Force shows, the supreme court does not make administrative decisions in a vacuum. We value the input from you, through the judicial council and our personal visits to courthouses. One final thought on the importance of the judicial council; the chief judges and district court administrators spend quite a bit of time sharing your successes as well. Those success stories are always exciting to hear and energizes me when I prepare to report to my fellow justices about the work you do every day.
Thank you!