Court leaders gather in Indianapolis to discuss judicial branch’s response to opioid epidemic

Court leaders gather in Indianapolis to discuss judicial branch’s response to opioid epidemic  

Indianapolis, June 4, 2018 – State Court leaders from across the country are gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana this week to discuss the judicial branch’s response to the nation’s opioid crisis.  The National Judicial Opioid Task Force (NJOTF) is holding a two-day meeting as part of its continued efforts to find solutions about how the courts can most effectively help individuals, families, and communities affected by the opioid epidemic.

The Task Force was established in the fall of 2017 by the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) as an effort to work with other state, local and federal agencies grappling with this issue.

Task Force co-chairs, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush and Director of the Administrative Office of the Tennessee Courts Deborah Taylor Tate, will be available to speak to the media between 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 5 to discuss the opioid epidemic, its impact on the courts, and how courts are responding. For more information, please contact Kathryn Dolan, Indiana Supreme Court chief public information officer at 317.234.4722, or Lorri Montgomery, director of communications for the National Center for State Courts at 757.262.8694.

The 29-member task force is made up of state court chief justices, state court administrators and other court leaders who have experience working with people with substance abuse issues. For more information on the task force, please go to  www.ncsc.org/opioidsandcourts

Financial support for the task force comes from the State Justice Institute (SJI), with staffing support provided by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).

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.