NCJ Number
133373
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 42 Issue: 3 Dated: (1991) Pages: 13-23
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This document examines the impact of judicial rotation on the judiciary and the quality of justice provided by courts of juvenile and family jurisdiction.
Abstract
Interviews and/or discussions were held with 14 jurists from 11 states. Judicial rotation in courts of juvenile and family jurisdiction is a prevalent feature of metropolitan courts in at least 16 states. In the view of some jurists serving in these courts serves neither the interest of the judicial branch of government nor the families and children appearing before them well. From a jurisdictional vantage, the negative features of rotation have expanded with the growth of the courts' abuse, neglect, and dependency caseload. More than a few of the judges interviewed offered the opinion that the problem may not be a fragmented jurisdiction but a fragmented judiciary: judges on a carousel who don't know where the next docket stop may be and judges who are aware that more continuity and socialization are required but are unable to make their case to their own superiors. 38 references