COURT COLUMN A Newsletter of the Judiciary of the State of Louisiana Volume I, No. I, Spring 1998 Royal Street Courthouse Renovation Begins On March 2nd, surrounded by the justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the judges of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr. handed the key to the Royal Street Courthouse to the First Lady of Louisiana, Alice Foster, marking the start of a $7.2 million renovation and restoration phase of the historic courthouse building. Over 400 guests and French Quarter spectators were in attendance to witness the momentous occasion that featured Supreme Court Justice Jeannette Knoll singing the National Anthem, the U.S. Marine Corps Band, John Ehret High School ROTC, Boy and Girl Scouts, confetti cannons and 500 red, white and blue balloons. "Returning this awe-inspiring building to a home for the state's highest court demonstrates to citizens and visitors alike that we, the people of Louisiana, value our system of justice and our rich architectural history. This renovation will restore dignity and beauty to the courthouse as it was in the first half of the century," announced Chief Justice Calogero. The project was also heralded by officials and dignitaries representing civic, legal and business interests, including: Mayor Marc H. Morial, City of New Orleans; Judge Robert J. Klees, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal; Judge Eldon E. Fallon, Chairman of the Louisiana Supreme Court Historical Society; David Bienvenu, President of the Louisiana State Bar Association; Patricia H. Gay, Executive Director of the Preservation Resource Center; Sam A. LeBlanc, III, Chairman of the Chamber/New Orleans & the River Region; and Roger H. Ogden, Chairman of the Royal Street Advisory Board who served as master of ceremonies. The Beaux Arts building was built in 1909 for the Supreme Court and the New Orleans Civil District Court. The building is now being readied for multi-purpose use to eventually house the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, the State Judicial Administrator, the Law Library of Louisiana, an Attorney General's Office and a satellite branch of the Louisiana State Museum. The current phase of the renovation project was awarded to Gootee Construction, Inc. It is anticipated that this phase of the Royal Street Courthouse restoration will be completed in January of 1999, and that completion of the final phase of construction and occupancy will occur by the end of the year 2000. COLLINS CORNER It is my pleasure to welcome you to Court Column, the new quarterly newsletter for the Louisiana judiciary. Court Column will highlight the work of Louisiana courts in the areas of community outreach, judicial reform, and innovations in court management and case processing. The information for Court Column comes from state court judges, clerks of court and court administrators who submit their outreach initiatives and innovations for publication. Their input is essential in keeping Court Column readers up-to-date with improvements in the state judiciary. Each issue of Court Column will also include "Focus On", featuring how Louisiana courts are partnering with the community to address societal problems, such as juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child neglect and abuse. This issue will "Focus On: Community Partnerships to Prevent Juvenile Crime." I look forward to speaking to you from the Collins Corner in future issues in order to better acquaint you with the services of the Judicial Administrator's Office. So again, welcome to Court Column. If you are one who believes that no news is good news, I hope Court Column changes your mind. New Judges' Training In the Fall of 1996, 68 new district court judges were elected to serve as members of the bench. With their addition, 70 percent of Louisiana district judges have six or fewer years of trial court experience. Faced with this unprecedented shift in the make-up of the judiciary, the Louisiana Judicial College conducted a mandatory four- day judicial education program to ready the new judges for the professional challenges that lie ahead. The cornerstone of the new judges' training is the Judicial Mentoring Project a collaboration of the Louisiana Judicial College and the Louisiana District Judges Association. "By pairing new judges with experienced judges, the Judicial Mentoring Project is designed to transcend the mere 'how to's' of courtroom procedure by creating a statewide judicial network for sharing ideas and providing emotional support," said Judge W. Ross Foote (9th JDC), Chairman of the Judicial Mentoring Committee of the District Judges Association. The mentor judges participate in the mentoring program on a voluntary basis. They agree to receive specialized mentoring skills training and to be available at any time to answer calls from the new judge. The mentor and the new judge also agree to visit each other's court while in session and to regularly complete follow-up reports which track the development of the relationship. The common sentiment shared by the freshman judges and their mentors is that the Judicial Mentoring Program is a big success. As a result it is being held up as the model for the nation by Maureen Conner, president of a Michigan company that specializes in mentoring programs. INNOVATIONS Video Conferencing Reduces Costs The City Court of Plaquemine recently joined the ranks of other Louisiana courts which use video conferencing to post bonds. The "Viewpoint Workfone" system allows the court to communicate with inmates via computer monitors and microphones located in the courthouse and the jail. The system, which generates a written bond and photo of the accused at the time of the bonding procedure, is a cooperative effort of the Plaquemine's Sheriff's Office and the City Court. Sheriff Freddie Pitre praises the system for its effectiveness in saving manpower and transportation costs and reducing the security risk associated with transporting inmates to and from the courthouse. According to Judge William C. Dupont, "This new procedure has proven to be very cost effective and has improved the efficiency of our 72 hour bonding procedure." For more information about Viewpoint Workfone, call Judge William C. Dupont at (504) 687-7236. Remote Access The public can now access Orleans Parish Civil District Court's on-line records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by subscribing to the court's CDC Remote Access Service. Records available include: case records from the Civil District Court and First City Court; records of mortgages, chattels, charters and partnerships; records of conveyances; and attorney bar rolls. For more information, call CDC Data Processing at (504) 598-7969. Criminal Docket Information Management System The Criminal Docket Information Management System (CDIMS) is the all important first step in building an integrated system that meets the needs of all of the criminal justice agencies within the 24th Judicial District. CDIMS was developed for the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court in cooperation with the judges of the 24th JDC, the Sheriff's Office, and the District Attorney to assist in processing the more than 8,000 criminal cases filed each year. One of primary objectives of CDIMS is to capture information at its source and interface the data electronically to the other criminal justice agencies on a daily basis, replacing former inefficient manual methods. A network of over sixty (60) PC's and twenty (20) printers installed in the administrative work areas and courtrooms provide information on a broad range of criminal justice activity including: Recent arrests Jail inventory and prisoner releases Charge acceptance and refusal Case filing and allotment Bond orders and forfeitures Surety data Court calendars and dockets Motions filed Minute entries Caseload management reports For more information, call CDIMS Steering Committee Chairman, Judge Charles Cusimano, II, at (504) 364- 3929. FOCUS ON: JUVENILE CRIME Growing juvenile court dockets present a troubling preview of future criminal and social services caseloads in Louisiana courts. As a result, judges and court staff are becoming increasingly involved in innovative programs to bring troubled young people into mainstream society and give them alternatives to crime. New Orleans-Resolving Conflicts Peacefully 120 students from 20 New Orleans public high schools participated in a week-long Conflict Resolution Teen Camp at Loyola University Law School. Sponsored by the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education, the teen camp objective was to empower young people to serve as crime prevention strategists in the community by resolving conflicts in their schools. The students chosen to participate in the Teen Camp included both student council members and at-risk students. Following a welcome from Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr., students received conflict resolution instruction from more than 30 New Orleans area district court and court of appeal judges. These included: Judge Patricia Murray, Judge Robert Klees, Judge Ronald Sholes, Judge Max Tobias, Jr., Judge Niles Hellmers, Judge Paul deMahy, Judge Michael Bagneris, Judge Terri Love, Judge Ernestine Gray, Judge Nancy Konrad, Judge Andrea Price Janzen, and Judge Paul Bonin. In return for their camp experience, students agreed to design and implement a conflict resolution program in their respective high schools. At a follow-up training session, Justice Bernette Johnson swore in the students as card- carrying peer mediators. When asked what aspect of the camp program was especially useful, one student enthusiastically responded, "The fact that we had real judges speak to us!" For more information, call Maria Dooley of the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education at (504) 619-0129. 29th JDC Helps Students "ADAPT" ADAPT (Alternative Discipline - A Positive Turnaround) is a mandatory alternative dispute program for St.Charles Parish 7th to 12th graders who have been suspended from school more than three times for disorderly behavior.