Legal Values, Administrative Values, and Political Realities The Trial-Court Administrator in Local Judicial Districts (From Politics of Judicial Reform, P 123-135, 1982, Philip L Dubois, ed. - See NCJ-84771)

• NCJ Number: 84777
• Author(s): R P Boswell; E S Fairchild
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Lexington Books
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Based on the case of North Carolina, the discussion analyzes the development of the position of trial court administrator and the way in which the crucial function of civil case calendaring was assumed by the new professionals.

Abstract

Judicial and professional resistance to court administrators can be explained by various factors. Reform goals of administrative efficiency often become entangled with the role, status, authority, and power of various court actors, primarily judges. The trial court manager must overcome such obstacles as the judge's attitude, molded by training and lack of management experience; clerks' and other personnel's resistance to the new position; and the judiciary's concern that the administrator may construct a bureaucracy. Thus, what appears to be a simple process problem for the administrator can result in ideological confrontation. The trial court administrator should proceed cautiously, using those resources likely to enhance initial success and thus leading to future, efforts. The trial court judge is the pivotal person to be considered in any attempts at implementing reforms. Case calendaring trial court administrators, although civil case calendaring control has been implemented in three experimental districts in North Carolina. One note and 24 references are provided.