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National Center for State Courts awarded $584k grant to create new Census of State Courts
Williamsburg, Va. (Feb. 15) -- The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) today announced a $584,762 grant award from the Bureau of Justice Statistics to develop a new Census of State Courts.
The census will build on NCSC’s State Court Organization data to provide a comprehensive list of U.S. courts that includes detailed information about staffing, operations, and jurisdictional reach.
“Once complete, the Census of State Courts will be an invaluable resource for court leaders articulating resource needs, state and federal leaders making policy decisions, and researchers creating informed comparisons. It will also enhance the public’s understanding of the judiciary,” said Nicole Waters, NCSC’s Director of Research Services. “With these data, decision-makers can turn to a single resource to compare and contrast how state courts operate around the country.”
During the three-year project, NCSC will partner with the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) and National Association for Court Management (NACM) to identify priorities for data collection that will enhance knowledge about state courts around the country. Data collected from the courts will be verified, cleaned and analyzed before census results are made available to the public.
“For years, there has been a growing need for this level of state court information,” said Karl R. Hade, President of the Conference of State Court Administrators and Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia. “These data will create a baseline to evaluate how to structure court organizations in the most efficient and effective way possible.”
Jeffrey Tsunekawa, NACM President and Director of Research and Court Services for the Texas Office of Court Administration, added, “This deep dive into how state courts operate – at both the trial and appellate court levels – is significant and critical in helping courts deliver better services to all court users.”