Judicial Decision Making

The Judicial Decision Making conference is designed for judges who want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and challenges facing the judiciary. The conference will cover a variety of topics, including:

• The changing judicial environment: This session will explore the ways in which the judicial system is evolving, including the increasing diversity of the judiciary, the use of technology in the courtroom, and the impact of social media.
• Implicit bias in the courts: This session will discuss how implicit bias can affect judicial decision-making, and how judges can identify and mitigate their own biases.
• Intersectionality and the courts: This session will explore how the intersection of different identities, such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status, can affect the experiences of litigants in the courts.
• Trends in judicial decision-making: This session will examine recent trends in judicial decision-making, such as the increasing use of precedent and the growing influence of public opinion.
• Judicial ethics: This session will discuss the ethical obligations of judges, including the need to remain impartial, avoid conflicts of interest, and uphold the public trust.
• Problems faced by judges: This session will explore the challenges that judges face, such as long hours, high stress levels, and public scrutiny.
• Domestic issues in the courts: This session will discuss the impact of domestic violence, child abuse, and other family issues on the judicial system.
• COVID experiences: This session will explore the challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to the judiciary, such as the shift to remote hearings and the increased use of technology.
• Lessons learned from remote jury trials: This session will discuss the lessons that have been learned from the first wave of remote jury trials, such as the importance of providing clear and concise instructions to jurors and ensuring that they have access to all of the evidence.
• Guidance to jurors in remote jury trials: This session will provide guidance to jurors on how to participate in a remote jury trial, including how to prepare for the trial, how to interact with the judge and other jurors, and how to reach a verdict.
• Housekeeping instructions for remote jury deliberation: This session will provide housekeeping instructions for jurors who are deliberating remotely, such as how to communicate with each other, how to access the evidence, and how to reach a verdict.
• Remote testimony: This session will discuss the challenges and opportunities of remote testimony, such as the use of videoconferencing and the need to ensure that the testimony is reliable.
• Crawford v. Washington: This session will discuss the Supreme Court case Crawford v. Washington, which established the requirement that the accused have a right to confront the witnesses against them.
• The self-represented litigant: This session will discuss the challenges faced by self-represented litigants, and how judges can help them navigate the judicial system.
• Judicial personality and compassion fatigue: This session will discuss the importance of judicial personality and how judges can avoid compassion fatigue.
• Challenges to the courts: This session will discuss the challenges that the judiciary faces, such as budget cuts, rising caseloads, and public dissatisfaction.

The conference will be led by experienced judges and legal scholars, Judges Barbara McDermott and Jack Nevin. The sessions will be interactive and will provide participants with the opportunity to ask questions and share their own experiences.

The conference is designed to provide judges with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed and impartial decisions in the courtroom. It is also a valuable opportunity for judges to network with other judges from across the country and to learn from their experiences.