Arkansas WINTER 2017 COURTA publication of the Arkansas Administrative Office of theNEWS Courts “Supporting Courts, Ensuring Justice” john dan kemp Sworn In as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arkansas IN THIS ISSUE FOCUS ON DATA PBS SPECIAL REPORT New Cover and Disposition Arkansas Judges Participate in Sheets Took Effect January 1 - National Listening Tour The ORJS Explains Why Hosted by PBS’s Tavis Smiley IN THIS ISSUE AROUND THE Investiture JUDICIARY 2017 Chief Justice John Dan Kemp and Associate Justice Shawn A. Womack Sworn In on January 10, 3 2017 Featuring the fall 2016 Judicial Council meeting, the Arkansas Association of Court 6 Management, and more. Courting Justice HANNAH A panel of Arkansas HONORED Judges participated in a national listening tour hosted by PBS host Tavis Smiley. 5 13 Chief Justice Hannah inducted into the Focus Warren E. Burger 8 Society. 7 on Data The AOC rolls out a new set of cover sheets and disposition sheets. ARKANSAS COURT NEWS • WINTER 2017 IN THIS Investiture 2017 ISSUE NEW SUPREME COURT JUSTICES SWORN IN “I BELIEVE OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO SEE GOOD PEOPLE Nearly three hundred onlookers watched as Retired Supreme WORKING Court Justice Jack Holt administered the Oath of Office to John Dan Kemp on January 10, 2017. In addition to friends and family, the Courtroom and two additional streaming rooms overflowed with WELL retired justices, Court of Appeals judges, circuit judges, district judges, and legislators, as well as Secretary of State Mark Martin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Chief Justice Kemp suc- TOGETHER ON ceeded Chief Justice Howard Brill, who was appointed by Governor Hutchinson in 2015. SOMETHING The newly sworn Chief Justice was robed by his daughter before taking his seat for the next eight years in the middle of the bench. Chief Justice Kemp then gave his first formal address, where he THAT spoke of the commonality shared by the members of the judiciary, including the sincere desire to do right by the Arkansas voters. “The weight of this robe serves to remind me of the significance of MATTERS TO this high court’s decisions,” he stated. Chief Justice Kemp also ex- pressed his commitment to the administrative duties of the Chief Justice, to improving drug and juvenile courts, further advance- THEIR LIVES.” ment of court automation, and providing support to those working within the criminal justice system. -CHIEF JUSTICE The Chief Justice shared the investiture with Associate Justice JOHN DAN KEMP Shawn Womack, of Mountain Home, who was sworn in after the Chief Justice’s address to Position 2 on the Court. Justice Womack was presented by Commissioner Johnny Key and robed by fellow Associate Justice Rhonda Wood. ARKANSAS COURT NEWS • WINTER 2017 Investiture 2017 PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT Photos Courtesy of Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin ARKANSAS COURT NEWS • WINTER 2017 Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, Circuit Judge Carlton Jones, PBS Host Tavis Smiley, District Judge Kim Bridgeforth, Circuit Judge Wiley Branton, Jr. and D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Eric T. Washington. COURTING JUSTICE ARKANSAS JUDGES SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN PBS TOWN HALL SPECIAL On the day after the two candidates for the traveling to Little Rock and concluding in nation’s highest political office stood face Cleveland. An effort of the Community to face with voters in the final presidential Engagement in the State Courts initiative, debate, national attention turned to the program responds to a recent study another type of town hall. This one took conducted by the National Center for State place in a cozier venue, the Ron Robinson Courts which found that only 32 percent of Theatre in Little Rock, where PBS host Tavis African Americans believe that the justice Smiley gathered with four Arkansas judges system provides equal justice to all. The for the second installment of his “Courting listening tour was designed to open a Justice” national listening tour. dialogue between a panel of judges and a studio audience consisting of members Arkansas was selected as one of only of the communities in which they serve. three stops on Smiley’s national listening “This frank discussion is unprecedented,” tour, which opened in Los Angelos before stated Smiley, who serves on the board of 3 ARKANSAS COURT NEWS • WINTER 2017 “COURTING JUSTICE” ...CONTINUED. Circuit Judge Carlton Jones responds to an audience member’s question as Chief Justice-Elect Kemp, District Judge Bridgeforth and Circuit Judge Branton look on. the initiative. “Securing the public’s was critical at this particular moment recognition that efforts in the past trust in our judicial system is in history. “When you see the police to connect with those communities fundamental to our democracy.” involved shootings and the public had been unsuccessful.” Chief Judge response to those...the Conference Washington is a past president of Chief Judge Eric T. Washington of of Chief Justices, a body on which I the Conference of Chief Justices the District of Columbia Court of serve which includes the top Chief (CCJ), and serves as chair of the Appeals, who was heavily involved in Justices of every state Supreme Community Engagement in the developing the program, explained Court in the country, their concern State Courts initiative. at the outset that a listening tour was raised by these events and the “Securing the public’s trust in our judicial system is fundamental to our democracy.” The panelists from the Arkansas of Arkansas-based social justice, For those who have not yet had the installment of the program advocacy, faith and small business opportunity to view the program, included Circuit Judge and Chief organizations, in addition to local which aired on October 10, the Justice John Dan Kemp, Circuit court and bar leadership. Among entire six-part series is available for Judge Wiley Branton Jr., Circuit the issues that were discussed, the streaming online at the following Judge Carton Jones, and District judges addressed public concerns location: Judge Kim Bridgeforth. After a over debtors’ prisons, juvenile brief introduction by Smiley, the system reform, implicit bias, and http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ panelist judges answered questions criminalization in Arkansas schools. tavissmiley/interviews/courting- directed to them by representatives justice-pt-1/# 4 ARKANSAS COURT NEWS • WINTER 2017 new cover sheets took effect january 1 THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND JUSTICE STATISTICS ROLLS OUT NEW COVER SHEETS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ACCURACY AND EFFECIENCY OF DATA QUALITY REPORTING in 2015, or that Monroe county had the highest number of felony weapon charges in the state, at 10.8 per 10,000 people. Of course, in order to actu- ally make decisions based on that data, there must be confidence that the data is accurate. To that end, the Office of Research and Justice Statistics is constantly working to reduce the instances of data report- ing errors. It reviews and ensures that the case management system’s inputs are logical to users, and has recently begun incentivizing accu- rate reporting by awarding Data Quality Awards to courts inputting the fewest errors. The new cover sheets are the ORJS’s latest innova- Case information cover sheets There is a real challenge for court tion aimed at enhanced data quality. have become a routine practice of managers to maintain a culture of filing cases in Arkansas. However, trust in the data by creating confi- “There are several reasons the whether one has filled out a cover dence in its accuracy. cover sheets are being updated at sheet as an attorney, received and this point,” explained ORJS Director recorded the contents as a clerk, The data collected by the Diane Robinson, architect of the or simply heard the words “data AOC is used for a variety of pur- state’s data quality program. “First, quality” in casual conversation, most poses, including responding to and most obviously, court pro- have not likely given serious thought data requests from courts and the cesses have changed with advanc- to the purpose of the cover sheets, public and helping courts effectively ing technology. Where at one point or why they are so important as to manage caseloads. The data helps the primary purpose of the cover be required with each new filing. the AOC to identify, for example, sheet was for the clerk to send sta- Now that the AOC has rolled out a which counties in Arkansas have the tistical information to the AOC, the brand new set of cover sheets, the highest numbers of certain types of purpose has changed to assist the use of which became mandatory on offenses and convictions. It helps us clerk quickly and accurately enter January 1, 2017, we caught up with determine trends over time. Outside information into Contexte. As more the Office of Research and Justice organizations can also use this data courts use Contexte in everyday Statistics to answer one simple to identify problem areas within the practice, and more members of the question: why are cover sheets so state, and explore further to deter- public rely upon Court Connect, important? mine causes and develop solutions. speedy and accurate entry has become more important than ever.” Cover sheets are crucial to In the past few issues of the one of the most important func- Arkansas Court News, the ORJS has The new cover sheets feature tions of the Administrative Office provided snapshots of the data it increased identifiers, primarily to of the Courts (AOC) - to collect and has been able to interpret from help with data exchanges with manage data from all state courts. the information being entered other agencies, including ACIC, While it may be broadly acknowl- into Contexte. It is largely thanks drivers’ services, OCSE and vital eged that data collection is neces- to the information entered in the records.