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The Mission

Providing leadership in achieving justice through quality judicial and collegiate dialogue.

A History of Achievement

The National Judicial College is celebrating 45 years of excellence in judicial education in 2008. An architecturally advanced design, magnificent stone columns and majestic skylight greet visitors in the lobby of The National Judicial College’s two-story building which houses technology-enhanced classrooms, state-of-the-art seminar rooms, distance education facilities, a newly upgraded computer lab and a model courtroom that  showcases advanced technology for more efficient courtrooms. Located on the historic 255-acre University of Nevada, Reno, campus, The National Judicial College is the nation’s top judicial training institution. Each year, courses are held onsite, across the nation and around the world.

The NJC offers an average of 65 courses annually with more than 2,500 judges enrolling from all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 150 countries. Since it opened in 1963, the NJC has awarded more than 80,000 professional judicial education certificates. In 1986, the NJC and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges assisted the University of Nevada, Reno, in developing one of the nation’s first advanced degree programs for trial judges - the Master of Judicial Studies program. In 2001, the UNR Board of Regents approved a Ph.D. program. Both programs provide a formal academic setting in which trial judges can integrate technical and academic studies to attain an intellectual understanding of the American judiciary.

The NJC is home to the National Tribal Judicial Center and an International Program. The College’s curricula include a Seminar Series, made up of courses that provide judges the opportunity to study diverse and interesting topics at historically and culturally rich locations across the United States. There is also a wide selection of Web-based courses to choose from, enabling participants to explore a variety of subject areas online.

The National Judicial College has an appointed 18-member Board of Trustees and it became a Nevada not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) educational corporation on January 1, 1978.

Hon. Phyllis Williams Kotey's General Jurisidiction courses are famous for their lively discussions.

Practical Tools for the Bench and Beyond

Programs offered at The National Judicial College have been shaped by more than four decades of innovation in judicial education and are designed to give participants the practical tools needed to effectively serve on the bench. The emphasis is on quality and relevance, while the focus is on the individual needs of each participant. The College's curricula include a Seminar Series, made up of courses that provide judges the opportunity to study diverse and interesting topics at historically and culturally rich locations across the United States. There is also a wide selection of Web-based courses to choose from, enabling participants to learn a variety of topics online. The National Judicial College has successfully created a dedicated judicial education endowment fund program to enable individual states and courts to utilize NJC's services without straining their budgets.

New Additions and Partnerships

In 1986, the College and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges assisted the University of Nevada, Reno, in developing one of the nation's first advanced degree programs for trial judges--the Master of Judicial Studies program. In 2001, the UNR Board of Regents approved a Ph.D. program. Both programs provide a formal academic setting in which trial judges can integrate technical and academic studies to attain an intellectual understanding of the American judiciary.

In addition to the National Tribal Judicial Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Courts and Media Center and the International Center, NJC houses technology-enhanced classrooms, a legal resource center, a state-of-the-art model courtroom, modern seminar rooms, distance education facilities and a computer lab. The College has an appointed 18-member Board of Trustees. It became a Nevada not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) educational corporation on January 1, 1978.