National court leaders wrap busy week barnstorming the Northeast corridor
(From left) Troy McKenzie, dean of the New York University School of Law, moderates a discussion on the emerging landscape of business and commercial courts with Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson of the New York Court of Appeals and Delaware Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr., during an event hosted at the Manhattan offices of GreenbergTraurig May 11.
It's a little over 200 miles on the Amtrak between New York and Washington, D.C. This week, numerous leaders of the state court system made extensive use of the rail link to participate in leadership events in Manhattan, D.C., and Virginia, while others navigated airports and snarled streets of the nation's capital to champion critical issues facing state courts with members of the bar, staff on Capitol Hill, and NCSC board members.
On Monday, May 11, Collins J. Seitz, Jr., Chief Justice of Delaware, shuttled on Amtrak from Wilmington to New York to participate in a national forum on business courts. The evening event attracted dozens of members of the New York bar who came to hear from Chief Justice Seitz and his colleague Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson of the New York Court of Appeals at an invitation-only event hosted at the offices of GreenbergTraurig. The discussion was moderated by Troy McKenzie, dean of the New York University School of Law.
Organized by the National Center for State Courts, the event covered the emerging landscape of business and commercial courts, which can streamline processes through specialized dockets, tailored pathways, and judges with expertise in resolving business and commercial issues.
Participants also learned more about both NCSC and the Conference of Chief Justices. The event was hosted by NCSC board member Henry M. Greenberg.
NCSC President Elizabeth Clement speaks with staff supporting Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.). Rep. McBath joined senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in introducing the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act in 2025.
Next stop: D.C.
NCSC President Elizabeth T. Clement, who welcomed attendees at the New York event, then hopped the Acela from Penn Station to Washington. D.C. to prepare for numerous D.C.-area events.
On Wednesday afternoon, May 13, NCSC hosted a recognition event on Capitol Hill, led by Clement. Themed "Celebrating Champions of Justice," dozens of court leaders and NCSC board members gathered at the Rayburn House office building on Independence Avenue to spotlight state court priorities.
The two-hour reception thanked members of Congress and their staff members who have supported efforts to advance critical state court interests, including legislation to protect judges, court staff and the public, and efforts to increase funding for the Legal Services Corporation, State Justice Institute and vital treatment court programs.
"State courts are where justice lives for most Americans. Each year, they handle roughly 70 million cases — touching families, businesses, and communities in every corner of this country. That scale demands not only excellence — but coordination, leadership, and a shared vision," Clement said.
NCSC board member Lynne M. Halbrooks, a senior attorney at Cassidy Law in Washington, pushed through D.C. rush hour traffic to join the event on Wednesday afternoon.
Halbrooks is no stranger to Capitol Hill, having spent over a decade at the Department of Justice and subsequently serving as the general counsel to the Senate sergeant at arms, deputy sergeant at arms, and acting inspector general at the Department of Defense.
"Bringing state court leaders to Congress drives home the message that we need support from Washington to deliver on the promise of fair and impartial justice for all Americans," Halbrooks said.
Standing at the corner of Independence Avenue and South Capitol Street Southeast following the event, Halbrooks found humor (eventually) in the string of Uber drivers who kept canceling her requested ride home.
NCSC board members Regina deChabert Petersen, administrator of courts for the
Judicial Branch of the Virgin Islands, and Nebraska State Court Administrator Corey Steel joined other board members in advocating for state court priorities on Capitol Hill.
NCSC board meets in Arlington, before returning to the Hill
On Thursday, May 14, Chief Justice Seitz, Clement, Greenberg, and Halbrooks were among nearly two dozen attendees who convened for NCSC's board of directors meeting at its Arlington, Virginia, offices. The board reviewed the NCSC's new strategic agenda priorities and implementation plan, heard committee reports, and discussed how best to support a diverse, increasingly national NCSC workforce.
Several board members, including Michael H. Lanza, executive vice president and general counsel of Selective Insurance, participated in the board meeting by Zoom due to scheduling constraints.
NCSC board members then returned to the Hill to engage in an afternoon of education and lobbying, crisscrossing the busy House and Senate office buildings. The afternoon meetings offered an opportunity for court leaders and board members to press their case directly on state court priorities.
As they fanned out around Capitol Hill, NCSC board members crossed paths at the conclusion of their lobbying efforts. John Nockleby of Loyola Law School, serving his sixth year as an NCSC board member, bumped into Adam Deckinger, chief legal and administrative officer for Tyson Foods and one of NCSC's newest board members, outside the Library of Congress.
Deckinger was hustling to pick up his suitcase stored at NCSC's Capitol Hill office before then racing to the airport for a flight home. Nockleby was headed to the D.C. metro to defeat rush hour traffic and make it back to northern Virginia for the week's final event.
A final event, and a late-night flight
At 6 p.m., NCSC board members and staff strolled to a private event to promote engagement and membership in NCSC's Lawyers Committee. About a dozen attorneys attended the event to learn more about NCSC's work and to better understand how they could support it through an impressive network of attorneys.
By 9 p.m., NCSC board members and guests had filtered out onto the streets to conclude their evening.
Lanza — the Selective Insurance executive who had appeared at the morning board meeting by Zoom, then hopped an afternoon flight from Rhode Island to D.C. to join the evening event in person — stood on a corner attempting to flag down his Uber.
Where next, a staff member asked?
"I've got a 10:40 p.m. flight back to Providence," Lanza replied, jumping into the back of the SUV that had appeared, just in time.
Amtrak bookend
By Friday morning, the NCSC staff leaders who had supported and organized the week's events were headed home.
Danielle Hirsch, NCSC's chief of staff and vice president of strategy, took an early morning Amtrak from Washington's Union Station back to her New York City home base.
Plugged in early, Hirsch emailed her leadership colleagues: "Thank you to each of you for helping make this a productive and energizing week of meetings."
NCSC's next chapter has arrived.