California court leader receives national award

Williamsburg, Va. (July 11, 2016) — Sherri R. Carter, Court Executive Officer and Clerk of Court of Los Angeles Superior Court, is the recipient of the National Center for State Courts' (NCSC) 2016 Distinguished Service Award for a trial court administrator, one of the highest awards presented by the organization. The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to those who have made significant contributions to the justice system and who have supported the mission of NCSC.  The award will be presented to Carter during the annual conference for the National Association for Court Management, July 11, in Pittsburgh, Pa.  

“Sherri Carter’s contributions to the justice system are felt nationally as well as in California,” said NCSC President Mary C. McQueen. “Most recently, she has played an integral role in helping to reduce delays and costs in the country’s civil justice system.”

For the past two years, Carter has worked closely with NCSC and the Conference of Chief Justices as a member of the Civil Justice Improvements Initiative Committee, created to help make civil justice more accessible to the public. The committee’s report is being released at the end of July and represents the first significant comprehensive multi-jurisdictional study of civil caseloads in more than two decades. 

Carter has served in her current position at Los Angeles Superior Court since 2013. Prior to this, she served as the Court Executive Officer and the Clerk of Court for the Superior Court of California, Riverside County. Before joining the California State court system, Carter served as the District Court Executive and Clerk of Court for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.

Carter currently serves on numerous California court committees and working groups related to budget and finance, legislation review and implementation, staff workload assessment and funding, juvenile court appointed counsel workload and funding, and other committees related to technology.

NCSC presents six Distinguished Service awards annually to those who have made significant contributions to the court system and to the work of the NCSC. The awards recognize one person from each of the following categories: current of former state appellate judge; current of former state trial judge; state-level court administrator or employee; trial-level court administrator or employee; attorney or other individual not employed by the courts; and current or former international judge or court executive.

The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a nonprofit court organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. Founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, NCSC provides education, training, technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts.