The National Judicial College has a dedicated research team on staff. Our researchers have earned their Ph.D.s and conduct high-quality, ethical, publishable research on the judiciary and court system. Much of the research conducted by the NJC is part of a deliverable for a federal grant, state grant or private foundation grant. The NJC also partners with various organizations on research projects.
To learn more about research opportunities with The National Judicial College, please contact:
Antony C. Leberatto, Ph.D., Research Director, aleberatto@judges.org
Sample of Publications and Presentations:
Alternative Sentencing and Diversion Programs
- Exploring the Landscape of Alternative Sentencing: Awareness, Perceptions, and Informational Behaviors Among Teens and Adults in Diverse Professional Roles (under review for publication)
- Equitable Justice or Access to Justice Problem? Exploring U.S. Alternative Sentencing and Diversion Programs (in progress)
Artificial Intelligence
- Content Analysis of Judges’ Sentiments Toward Artificial Intelligence Risk Assessment Tools (published in Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, vol. 24, issue two, 2023)
- Perceptions, Training, and Integration of Artificial Intelligence among Judges (under review for publication)
Bias and Justice
- Judging a Book by More Than Its Cover: A Symposium on Juries, Implicit Bias, and the Justice System’s Response (2021)
- Blind Justice or Bias Blindspot? Judges’ Perceptions and Beliefs about Racial Bias in the Legal System (in progress)
Evaluation and Impact
- Identifying Inherent Challenges in Measuring the Impact of Decisions from the Bench: An Evaluation Workshop (presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Judicial Educators, Columbus, OH (2023))
Human Trafficking
- Combating Human Trafficking in Indian Country (2018)
- Human Trafficking in the Courts: What Judges and Lawyers Need to Know (published in the Judges’ Journal, 2025)
- Evaluation of Processes, Lessons, and Results from the National Judicial College’s Human Trafficking Leadership Conference and CDL Public Awareness Campaign (2025)
- Innocence for Sale: The Intersection of Child Labor and Sex Trafficking (presented at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association. Toronto, ON (2025))
Judicial Decision-Making and Ethics
- Exploring the Effects of Economic Hardship and Consequences on Judicial Masking in CDL Cases (in progress)
- A Best Practice Guidebook to Adjudicating Cases Involving Commercial Drivers and Commercial Motor Vehicles (in progress)
Judicial Efficiency and Case Management
- Caseflow Management Summit Report: The Caseflow Management A 21st Century Idea to Achieve Sustainability (2009)
- Effective Judging for Busy Judges (2006)
- Effective Practices in Virtual Hearings for Kentucky Judges and Court Staff (2022)
- Fair, Timely, Economical Justice: Achieving Justice Through Effective Caseflow Management (2009)
- Procedural Fairness / Procedural Justice: A Bench Card for Trial Judges (2012)
- Resource Guide for Managing Complex Litigation (2010)
Judicial Education
- Transforming 21st Century Education (2018)
- Judges and forensic science education: A national survey (published in Forensic Science International, 2021)
- Motivations, Barriers, and Impact on Continuing Judicial Education: A Survey of U.S. Judges (published in Court Review, volume 57, 2021)
Judicial Security
- Perceptions and Experiences with Judicial Security Threats: A Survey of U.S. State Court Judges (published in Court Review, volume 60, 2025)
- Judicial Security: 2014 Survey Report
- Unpacking the Realities of Threats and Attacks on Judges: A Judicial Survivor Scripts and Judicial Safety Scripts Analysis (presented at the Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Conference (2025))
Judicial Stress, Resiliency, and Well-Being
- The State of Judges’ Well-Being: A Report on the 2025 National Judicial Stress and Resiliency Survey (in progress)
- The Relationship between Workplace Incivility and Well-Being in Administrative Court Judges (published in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2022)
Media and the Courts
Pre-Trial Criminal Cases
Substance Misuse and Treatment
- Back on TRAC: Treatment, Responsibility, & Accountability on Campus (2008)
- Student’s Views of Effective Alcohol Sanctions on College Campuses: A National Study (2012)
- Principles of an Effective Criminal Justice Response to the Challenges and Needs of Drug-Involved Individuals (2012)
- Judicial Survey on the Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Justice Involved Individuals with Substance Use Disorders (2021)
Tribal Courts