A LEGACY OF LEARNING

National Judicial College

After more than four and a half decades, The National Judicial College (NJC) remains a national leader in judicial education. The first to offer programs to judges nationwide, the NJC continues to work with the judiciary to improve productivity, challenge current perceptions of justice and inspire judges to achieve judicial excellence. The College serves as the one place where judges from across the nation and around the world can meet to improve the delivery of justice and advance the rule of law through a disciplined process of professional study and collegial dialogue. By offering an average of 95 courses/programs annually with more than 3,000 judges attending from all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 150 countries, the NJC seeks to further its mission of advancing justice through judicial education. Since its founding, the NJC has awarded more than 85,000 professional judicial education certificates.

In 1961, the American Bar Association joined with the American Judicature Society and the Institute of Judicial Administration to organize the Joint Committee for the Effective Administration of Justice. Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark served as chair along with Professor Ernest C. Friesen (NJC’s first dean) who played a key role. Among the Committee’s recommendations was the need to create an entity to provide judicial education. In 1963, with operating dollars provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan, The National Judicial College opened its doors to judges seeking further insight into their profession at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The need was evident with more than 300 judges applying for the 83 available seats. In 1964, with additional funding from the State of Nevada, the College moved its permanent academic home to the University of Nevada, Reno campus. The College’s first building, dedicated on the Reno campus in 1972, was built with funds from the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation.

The American Bar Association, State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Justice and the University of Nevada, Reno continue to provide ongoing financial support. Corporations, foundations, governmental units and individuals have also provided funding for general support and special projects through the years. The NJC, originally an entity within the American Bar Association, became a Nevada not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) educational corporation on January 1, 1978. The College has an appointed 18-member Board of Trustees which includes members of the ABA’ s Board of Governors. Trustees are elected for three-year terms with a two-term limit. The Board of Trustees sets general policy for the College and employs the president, who serves as chief executive officer.

Technology-Enhanced Facilities

NJC’s state of the art facility comprises approximately 90,000 square feet that houses an auditorium, classrooms, model courtroom, computer lab, multimedia room, dining facility, judge’s resource center, discussion areas and administrative space. All classrooms are equipped with “SMART” classroom technology that integrates computers, responder systems, audio/visual equipment, and sound systems that serve to enhance the classroom learning experience. NJC’s five state-of-the-art classrooms include: (1) A tiered auditorium that seats approximately 150 students; (2) two tiered classrooms that seat 40 each; (3) a flat classroom that seats approximately 40 participants; (4) a flat classroom that seats approximately 25 students; and (5) a flat seminar room that seats approximately 15 students. Classrooms (3) and (4) can be joined to form one classroom. All of the flat classrooms contain variable direct and indirect lighting and excellent state-of-the-art sound systems. NJC has a computer laboratory with 28 Internet-connected computers. NJC also features a model courtroom, complete with jury room, attorney conference rooms, an interpreter booth, a media room, and judicial chambers. A resource center provides an area for six discussion groups of 10-12 students each, and NJC has a “judicial dining court” that will accommodate 110 participants. The National Judicial College is located on the campus of the University of Nevada which has a brand new Knowledge Center and Student Union directly adjacent to NJC.

Building International Engagement

In addition to judges from abroad who attend regular courses and programs at the NJC, special courses for judges from across the world including South America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa are presented at the College or overseas. Using instantaneous translation equipment, these courses emphasize core judicial skills, ethics, decision-making and the relationship of courts to communities. These programs have become an opportunity to not only examine our own justice system, but to strengthen those of other countries as well.

Focus on Tribal Justice

Since its inception, The National Judicial College has welcomed Tribal judges and in June 2002, developed curricula aimed at the challenges facing Tribal courts. This specialized focus is key to the hundreds of Tribal jurists from across the nation who come to the NJC’s National Tribal Judicial Center each year. Often, the point of reference is different for Tribal judiciaries with the process focusing on restorative justice as well as bringing the whole community back into balance and harmony using Tribal customs and traditions. NTJC staff and faculty are experts in the fields of Tribal law and courts, and offer an in-depth understanding of the tools needed to achieve this balance and harmony.

Customized Programs and Technical Assistance

Working with our many organizational partners has made the NJC a renowned choice for providing customized programs and technical assistance to the judicial branch. The NJC offers a broad range of specialized, practical and advanced programs designed specifically for state, local, administrative law, military and Tribal justice systems, as well as for international countries seeking to enhance the rule of law. Many of the NJC’s advanced and specialized programs are offered at sites throughout the country and consist of conferences, workshops, needs assessments, and staff development programs focused on an organization’s specific issues.

Professional Certificate Program

The National Judicial College’s Professional Certificate program allows judges to specialize and excel in five different judicial areas. The curricula offered enable judges to analyze current issues, use progressive problem-solving skills, exchange ideas with other judges specific to their areas of interest, and obtain a wider spectrum of knowledge in their career fields. Many courses are eligible for duel credit and can also be applied toward the master’s and Ph.D. degree programs. The NJC’s professional certificate program represents a hallmark of professional achievement for judicial career enhancement. Each certificate program offers challenging required courses and a wide selection of electives from which to choose.

Professional Certificates:

· Administrative Law Adjudication Skills
· Dispute Resolution Skills
· General Jurisdiction Trial Skills
· Special Court Trial Skills
· Tribal Judicial Skills

Master and Ph.D. Degrees

Founded in 1986 by the University of Nevada, Reno, in collaboration with The National Judicial College and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the university was among the first institutions in the nation to offer judges the opportunity to advance their skills and knowledge through an advanced degree program. Today, the Master and Ph.D. of Judicial Studies programs draw state trial, administrative law, Tribal and military judges from across the nation seeking a deeper understanding of their roles as judges and the American justice system. These degrees are fully accredited, graduate programs requiring admittance into the University of Nevada, Reno. The university’s educational philosophy embodies participative, collaborative and applied problem solving strategies that are facilitated by a professional faculty.

Master and Ph.D. Degrees:

· Master of Judicial Studies
· Master of Judicial Management
· Ph.D. of Judicial Studies

NJC Legal Publications

The NJC continues to build on its service to the judiciary by offering legal resource books and publications that both inspire and educate. The NJC Press series features useful publications expressly designed to meet the reference needs of the judiciary and legal community. Recently published titles include: Presiding over a Capital Case; Managing Complex Litigation; NJC Deskbook on Evidence for Administrative Law Judges; Effective Caseflow Management; Inherent Powers of the Court; Logic & Legal Reasoning; Judicial Discretion; Search & Seizure; and the Grimes Criminal Law Outline, which is updated annually to include the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and is used by thousands of judges and attorneys across the country.

Jackson Lecture Series

The NJC's Jackson Lecture series is held twice a year during the College's General Jurisdiction course. It is named after Robert Houghwout Jackson who is best remembered for his vigorous decisions and wisdom and for his role as America’s chief prosecutor in the Nuremberg War Trials. The decision to honor Justice Jackson with this lecture series was made by his friend and Supreme Court colleague, Justice Tom C. Clark, one of NJC’s founders. It features world-renowned speakers and lecturers such as Mayor Dennis W. Archer of Detroit, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Bruce R. James, the Public Printer of the United States, Hon. Christine M. Durham of the Utah Supreme Court, and many others.