by Kaitlin Gorman (PA) At this year’s NCACC conference, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag of Kansas delivered a lively overview of the Supreme Court of the United States. His handout summarized the October 2024 Term and previewed the October 2025 Term. I will be keeping an eye out for Gallette v. New Jersey Transit Corp., No.…
By Aaron C. Nash (AZ) Judge Bernice B. Donald (Retired) of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, was the 2025 Opperman Speaker on Sunday, August 3rd. Judge Donald drew from personal and professional experiences speaking on “The Role of an Independent Judiciary in a Democracy.” Perceptions can be reality, and Judge…
by Liz Garcia (NM) When I started as Clerk of the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2022, I received a call from Colette Bruggman (CA) about the importance of joining the NCACC. I recall seeing published NCACC member directories when I started and Mark Reynolds (NM) mentioning the collegiality of the NCACC. As a new clerk, I…
By Seth Rhodebeck (AL) Chad Finke, Court Executive Officer for the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, shared his insights on the challenges of and strategies for managing a multigenerational workforce, drawing from his experience as a Gen X leader born in 1971. Addressing a diverse audience of primarily Boomers and Millennials — reflective of…
Join Us Deep in the Heart of Texas: The 53rd Annual NCACC Meeting in Austin! Mark your calendars! The 53rd Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks is heading to Austin, Texas, and you won’t want to miss it. From Sunday, August 2nd through August 6th, 2026, we’ll gather at The LINE Hotel, a stylish downtown landmark…
by Lisa Howell (AZ) Nathan Hall, NCSC Principal Consultant, led an informative session on Practical Solutions and Best Practices for Court Building Security. Outlining the history of attacks on courts, as well as various state initiatives to deal with court security issues, he provided guidance on the elements of a successful court security program. He discussed five…
by Kristen R. Edwards (NM) This is a summary of the interdisciplinary panel of judges and legal experts from various jurisdictions, including the Navajo Nation and Santa Ana Pueblo, who discussed collaboration between federal, state, and tribal courts. The panelists were: Megan Scanlon (VA Moderator); Hon. Timothy Tymkovich (10th Cir. COA); Hon. C.J. David K. Thomson…
by Paul Tuttle (MA) Conference attendees were treated to a compelling discussion on expanding access to justice. The panel, moderated by John Tomasino (FL), featured Hon. C. Shannon Bacon, New Mexico Supreme Court Justice; Torri A. Jacobus, Director of Statewide Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts; Grace Spulak, Principal Court Management Consultant…
by Daniel Brubaker (MI) Professor Rubenstein began by explaining that the adoption of AI in the workplace is evolving from a personal choice to a professional necessity—and it may soon become unavoidable. He reminded us that AI primarily functions as a statistical pattern identifier – it is essentially a predictive tool that anticipates the next…
By Doug Shima (KS) I hope that summertime for you is filled with family, friends, vacations, reunions, a break from work, and some relaxation. Make sure your summer fun includes traveling to Albuquerque for the NCACC annual conference. It is going to be awesome! Check out the article in this issue of The Docket penned by Liz Garcia and Colette…