§ 7A-409.1. Duties of the State Judicial Council.
§ 7A‑409.1. Duties ofthe State Judicial Council.
(a) The State JudicialCouncil shall:
(1) Study the judicialsystem and report periodically to the Chief Justice on its findings;
(2) Advise the ChiefJustice on priorities for funding;
(3) Review and advisethe Chief Justice on the budget prepared by the Director of the AdministrativeOffice of the Courts for submission to the General Assembly;
(4) Study and recommendto the General Assembly the salaries of justices and judges;
(5) Recommend to theGeneral Assembly changes in the expense allowances, benefits, and othercompensation for judicial officials;
(6) Recommend thecreation of judgeships; and
(7) Advise or assist theChief Justice, as requested, on any other matter concerning the operation ofthe courts.
(b) The State JudicialCouncil, with the assistance of the Director of the Administrative Office ofthe Courts, shall recommend to the Chief Justice performance standards for allcourts and all judicial officials and shall recommend procedures for periodicevaluation of the court system and individual judicial officials and employees.If these standards are implemented by the Chief Justice, the Director of theAdministrative Office of the Courts shall inform each judicial official of thestandards being used to evaluate that official's performance. If implemented,the evaluation of each judge shall include assessments from other judges,litigants, jurors, and attorneys, as well as a self‑evaluation by thejudge. Summaries of the evaluations of justices and judges shall be madeavailable to the public, in a manner to be determined by the Council, but thedata collected in producing the evaluations shall not be a public record.
(c) The State JudicialCouncil shall study and recommend guidelines for the assignment and managementof cases, including the identification of different kinds of cases fordifferent kinds of resolution. If the Chief Justice decides to implement theseguidelines, the guidelines may provide that, except for good cause, each civilcase subject to assignment to a trial judge should be directed first to anappropriate form of alternative dispute resolution. The guidelines may alsoprovide for posttrial alternative dispute resolution before or as part of anappeal. The guidelines should not require absolute uniformity from district todistrict and should allow case management personnel within each district theflexibility to direct cases to the most appropriate means of resolution in thatdistrict.
(d) The State JudicialCouncil shall monitor the use of alternative dispute resolution throughout thecourt system and, with the assistance of the Director of the AdministrativeOffice of the Courts and the Dispute Resolution Commission, evaluate theeffectiveness of those programs.
(e) The State JudicialCouncil may recommend changes in the boundaries of the judicial districts ordivisions.
(f) The State JudicialCouncil shall monitor the administration of justice and assess theeffectiveness of the Judicial Branch in serving the public and to advise theChief Justice and the General Assembly on changes needed to assist the GeneralCourt of Justice in better fulfilling its mission.
(g) The State JudicialCouncil shall report to the General Assembly and the Chief Justice no laterthan December 31, 2009, and no later than December 31 of every third year,regarding the implementation of S.L. 2006‑184 and shall include in itsreport the statistics regarding inquiries and any recommendations for changes.The House of Representatives and the Senate shall refer the report of the StateJudicial Council to the Joint Legislative Corrections, Crime Control, andJuvenile Justice Oversight Committee and such other committees as the Speakerof the House of Representatives or the President Pro Tempore of the Senateshall deem appropriate, for their review. (1999‑390, s. 1; 2006‑184, s. 10.)