Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Series
Release Date: April 21st, 2026
The 2026 NACM Midyear Conference brought together court professionals from across the country. They came to share best practices, confront common challenges, and explore new ideas. The theme of the midyear conference Preserving the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence, connects to an important national milestone. In 2026, our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.
This moment calls us to reflect on our justice system’s founding principles. It challenges us to recommit ourselves to those basic tenets. We, as court professionals, play a vital role in this effort. Every day, we ensure that our justice system is fair, accessible, and accountable to all. The midyear conference brought together both experienced leaders and emerging voices who care deeply about the future of our courts.
This month, we ask court professionals a simple question: What was your biggest takeaway from the 2026 NACM Midyear Conference? We examine what court professionals can do to protect the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence at a time of unprecedented challenges.
These challenges raise fundamental questions about whether our justice system can live up to its ideals. They also come at a time when public trust in our institutions is already under enormous strain. Whether you are an experienced administrator or just beginning your career, this episode highlights the ideas and lessons that mattered most at the 2026 Midyear. It also sharpens our focus on what matters most to court professionals as we all move into the future.
Today’s Moderator:
Tina Mattison Retired Deputy Court Administrator for the Pima County Consolidated Justice Courts in Tucson, Arizona and current lecturer at the Institute for Court Management.
Today’s Panel:
- Sean O’Sullivan, Chief of Community Relations at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Wilmington, Delaware
- Amanda Hammer, Court Executive Officer for the Tenth Judicial District in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and
- Michael Cuccaro, Executive Director of the Council of Judges in El Paso, Texas
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Leave a question or comment about the episode at clapodcast@nacmnet.org.
Show Notes
Tina Mattison
Sean O'Sullivan
Sean O’Sullivan is a native of Buffalo, New York who is the Chief of Community Relations for the Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts. He is the immediate past president of the Conference of Court Public Information Officers and has served on the board of CCPIO since 2017.
O’Sullivan acts as a resource for the Delaware Courts at all levels from misdemeanor court up to the Delaware Supreme Court. He works with state and national media, helps promote the work of the court and court initiatives and programs, and is part of the Delaware Judiciary’s legislative team.
He graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a double major in English and Media Study.
Prior to joining the courts, O’Sullivan was an award-winning print journalist for more than 20 years, working at daily newspapers in Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.
Amanda Hammer
Amanda Hammer is the Court Executive Officer for the Tenth Judicial District Court in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The district comprises three counties with one general jurisdiction judge and three county magistrate courts which are limited jurisdiction. She has been with the courts for 5 years, and before that she was in administration at a community college
Michael Cuccaro
Michael is the Executive Director of the Council of Judges in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law.
