In Recognition and Support of the Institute for Court Management Fellows Program

Resolution 3 In Recognition and Support of the Institute for Court Management Fellows Program

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WHEREAS, former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, in remarks to the American Bar Association in 1969, focused on the need for state and federal courts to develop and provide professional standards and education for court administrators; and

WHEREAS, as a result, a task force appointed by the American Bar Association was formed and issued recommendations leading to the establishment of the Institute for Court Management (ICM) and the Court Executive Development Program; and

WHEREAS, in 1970, the 30 members of the first class were admitted to the Court Executive Development Program (CEDP); and

WHEREAS, there have now been fifty-one graduating classes totaling 1,326 graduates from forty-nine states and twelve foreign countries; and

WHEREAS, ICM merged with the National Center for State Courts in 1984 and the CEDP was subsequently restructured and renamed the ICM Fellows Program; and

WHEREAS, ICM Fellows have contributed significantly to the development of court administration in the United States and provided leadership for state and local courts and national court-related organizations; and

WHEREAS, multiple ICM Fellows have been leaders of the profession of court administration at the highest levels, serving as president of the Conference of State Court Administrators, the National Association of Court Management and the National Association of State Judicial Educators, as recipients of the Warren E. Burger Award, and as members of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts; and

WHEREAS, many former and current members of the Conference of State Court Administrators were and are ICM Fellows; and

WHEREAS, throughout the last five decades, ICM Fellows have engaged in research projects to reduce delay, backlog, and expense in court proceedings, to improve court structures and processes, to apply business administration practices to courts, to foster the adoption of cutting-edge technology, to improve access to justice, to increase public trust and confidence in the state courts, and to advance sound governance and greater accountability through the use of performance standards in courts; and

WHEREAS, members of the Conferences have recognized the importance of the ICM Fellows credential in their recruitment and promotion of court professionals as leaders within the states' administrative offices and their local courts and have utilized participation in the ICM Fellows Program to encourage and support promising court professionals currently employed within their states; and

WHEREAS, the changing labor market in the U.S. and the challenge of promoting public confidence in the court system make the retention, development, and recruitment of outstanding court professionals an even more critical task for state and local courts;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conferences do hereby acknowledge and recognize the ICM Fellows Program for its service and contributions to improving the administration of justice in the state courts of this nation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conferences encourage state and local court leaders to recognize the significance of the designation as an ICM Fellow as a symbol of professional expertise and individual commitment to excellence in service and to continue to support and expand the use of the ICM Fellows Program to develop future court leaders for state and local courts across the nation.

Adopted as proposed by the CCJ/COSCA Court Management Committee at the CCJ/COSCA Annual Meeting on August 2, 2023.