In Support of the Adoption of the Core® for Strengthening Court Professionals
RESOLUTION 2: In Support of the Adoption of the Core® for Strengthening Court Professionals
WHEREAS, the National Association for Court Management (NACM) is a leading association of court professionals from all levels and types of courts, providing opportunities to increase member proficiency while working to improve the administration of justice; and
WHEREAS, in 1990, NACM established a set of standards of competency for the court management profession through development of its core competencies; and
WHEREAS, the NACM Core Competencies established the foundation for national educational and certification programming; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, NACM leadership began a review and assessment of the core competencies, giving consideration to the increasingly professionalized and diverse field of court administration, changes within the judicial system, and the increasing demands placed on courts; and
WHEREAS, this review involved input from a number of court leaders and subject matter experts from across the country representing all levels of courts; and
WHEREAS, as a result of that review and after thoughtful consideration, in 2014 NACM revised its core competencies and introduced a revised set of competencies entitled the Core® ; and
WHEREAS, the Core® is represented through three modules: Principle, Practice, and Vision; and
WHEREAS, the Principle module highlights the fundamental and enduring principles of court management and serves as the foundation for the profession and includes the following competencies:
- Purposes and Responsibilities: emphasizes the concept that courts exist to do justice, guarantee liberty, enhance social order, resolve disputes, maintain the rule of law, provide for equal protection, and ensure due process of law; and
- Public Trust and Confidence: underscores the idea that the strength of the judicial system rests largely on the trust and confidence the public has in a system that fosters integrity, transparency, and accountability; and
WHEREAS, the Practice module highlights both the daily and long-term functions that court leaders must perform, either individually or in collaboration with others, and includes the following competencies:
- Caseflow and Workflow: establishes the need to develop and institutionalize processes that promote fair and timely resolution of all cases; and
- Operations Management: acknowledges that courts are complex organizations comprised of an array of units and functions, which extend to managing courtroom operations, jury functions, information technology, court reporters, interpreters, business continuity, and other related court services to ensure effective court operations; and
- Public Relations: reiterates the importance of public trust and confidence and the collective interest of court leaders to increase the public's understanding of the courts; and
- Educational Development: facilitates the process of transformative learning, which is imperative in fostering skilled and well-trained court leaders who are creative and diligent in supporting traditional legal processes and responding to the changing demands on the administration of justice; and
- Workforce Management: conceptualizes the need to attract, engage, and retain a diverse workforce that is knowledgeable about relevant laws and legal processes and that measures and manages performance and service expectations; and
- Ethics: demonstrates the significance of a personal commitment to the principles of citizenship and justice which supports the fundamental purpose and responsibilities of courts as a co-equal branch of government; and
- Budget and Fiscal Management: conveys the importance of securing and maintaining the resources necessary to provide a multitude of mandated functions and public safety initiatives that impact communities at an optimal level; and
- Accountability and Court Performance: asserts the essential need for accountability and court performance through organizing, collecting, and analyzing information and communicating performance data to the judiciary, other branches of government, and the general public; and
WHEREAS, the Vision module highlights the skills needed to develop a strategic vision for the court and includes the following competencies:
- Leadership: supports the need to create a vision resulting in commitment to a common course and preferred future; and
- Strategic Planning: promotes the necessity of developing a strategic vision by establishing a strategic course, communicating that direction to internal and external stakeholders, and engaging them to work collaboratively toward achieving the organization's mission; and
- Governance: provides the framework for court leaders to manage and control court operations with consistency and predictability leading to performance levels based on established standards; and
WHEREAS, each competency in the Core® is vital to the success of the court by transcending the scope of any single area of court management;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators endorse NACM's Core® and encourage their members to consider how the Core® can be implemented in their jurisdictions.
Adopted as proposed by the CCJ/COSCA Court Management Committee at the 2015 Annual Meeting.