Dear NACM Family,

I was recently walking through a park here in Austin and passed by a merry-go-round that was covered with small children who looked like they were having the time of their life climbing around on it and pushing it round and round. When they stopped pushing and it slowed down, the children would jump off and dizzily fall down laughing. I kept thinking to myself – what is the joy in going in circle only to be dizzy and fall afterwards? I then begin to think all of the other circles we run in life purposely – ferris wheels; track and field races; cake walks; marathons. Although life is full of activities that may appear boring and without purpose, our own perspective provides us with purpose and meaning during those activities. We all move ahead in life with meaningful and purposeful steps.

What does that have to do with court administration, court management and the judicial branch you may wonder? When you head to court, and go home at night, only to return the next day to see just another docket with a new set of names, does it feel like you’re running in that circle? Does it feel like no matter how fast justice is administered, empty courtrooms are filled with a new subset of individuals? Yes, maybe, and no. Each day courthouses are likely occupied with repeat offenders, but they’re also visited by people who have never been there before, and likely never will again.

Our jobs are so incredibly important, and they impact a huge array of people on a daily basis. That’s why it’s important that we stay committed to constantly working to improve the administration of our courts. That’s why it’s important for us to stay in touch and share tips, tricks and resources as colleagues. That’s why it’s important to continue thinking outside the box on how to constantly improve how we do our jobs and keep the public’s trust and confidence.

We will soon have the opportunity to gather together in Tampa, Florida at NACM’s Annual Conference. Many people have been hard at work to make this conference a success and we have a solid lineup of speakers to motivate you to keep running in circles.

Jeffrey Tsunekawa
NACM President, 2022–2023