The NACM CORE® Committee continues to focus on content delivery by enhancing the reach of the CORE® Champion program and ensuring content remains up-to-date. We are currently working to update “The CORE® in Practice: A Guide to Strengthen Court Professionals through Application, Use, and Implementation” and the “Public Relations” curriculum. 

Meantime, as we prepare for a strategic 2023 grounded in practices and a mindset that builds public trust and confidence, we may consider reviewing two other curricula.

The Public Trust and Confidence curriculum is a core competency because maintaining the public’s trust and confidence in the courts is integral to the credibility of the judicial branch. This trust cannot be assumed. The court must establish and nurture public trust through its core responsibility of resolving disputes. The court process must not only be just, it must-have the appearance of being just. Public perceptions of the court system are largely formed by the experiences of individual parties in individual cases, all looking to the court for prompt and fair resolution of their disputes. Guided by the principles of procedural fairness, courts can enhance public trust and confidence by treating every party — plaintiffs, victims and defendants alike — with dignity and respect, and explaining the court process and court rulings in a timely matter. Trust and confidence are further enhanced through the transparent and consistent application of court procedures, timely resolution of court cases and providing public information regarding the court processes, court services and mechanisms for accessing them. Court leaders help promote and maintain public trust and confidence by creating organizational cultures that foster integrity, transparency and accountability for court processes and operations. 

All justice system stakeholders would benefit from reviewing and incorporating into their work the Public Trust and Confidence curriculum of the NACM CORE®.

The Strategic Planning curriculum is a core competency because the court leader not only manages the court but also must provide “leadership.” Whereas management is primarily about directing how the organization accomplishes its mission, leadership is about establishing a strategic course for an organization, communicating that direction to internal and external stakeholders and engaging them to work collaboratively toward achieving the organization’s mission. Effective court leadership is exemplified through strategic thinking, planning and action—all of which are critical components for the creation of a vision and plan to lead the court. To fulfill this role, the court leader needs to focus on creating and sustaining a strategic vision for the court. This requires the court leader to demonstrate creativity, stamina, drive, conceptual and analytic skills as well as the ability to execute. A court leader who is competent in these areas is well-position to work as a leadership partner with judicial officers, to assess and respond to trends, to promote overall court capacity, and to guide the court in achieving its mission. 

As we look forward to the continuing and new initiatives a new year may bring, let us do so strategically. A great start is review of the Strategic Planning curriculum of the NACM CORE®.

If you are interested in learning more, join the next monthly Committee meeting over Zoom, the Fourth Wednesday of each month at 3:00 pm ET.  Here is the Committee webpage with the Zoom link, past agenda and minutes, resources, and more.  

Kelly Hutton, Dawn Palermo, and Brandon Kimura