In November 2017 a group of court and civic leaders active in efforts to reduce racial and ethnic bias in the state courts responded to a brief on-line survey. The survey questions asked respondents to:
- Rank order the relative priority for action on 12 issues identified during the “Courting Justice Listening Tour” conducted by the National Advisory Board of the Community in the State Courts Initiative (Initiative).
- Identify the key features of a successful court and community engagement programs
- Learn about experiences participants have had in community engagement efforts
- Solicit advice from respondents about how courts should engage with minority and low-income communities.
One hundred surveys were completed, a response rate of 24 percent. More than one-half (56 percent) of the respondents were serving or retired judges.
NCSC also compiled a summary of issues identified in the Listening Tour and a toolkit with preliminary examples of public engagement efforts to assist court interested in submitting a letter of interest to participate in the pilot phase.