We applaud Speaker DeLeo's efforts to work with court leaders on issues
regarding management of the courts. In particular, we appreciate his
recognition that judicial oversight of probation is the most effective way to
deal with the thousands of sentencing and supervision issues that arise in our
courts, and his strong endorsement for keeping the Department of Probation in
the Judicial Branch. We also support the Speaker’s recommendations to raise the
bar for hiring in Probation and all state entities. The selection of Chief
Probation Officers now underway has been thorough and strictly merit based.
As the Speaker noted, we have a shared interest with him in focusing on the
best practices in the administration of justice. We are proud of the many
reforms that we, and the Trial Court Departments in particular, have made in
court management since the Monan Committee issued its report in 2003.
We are committed to improving the management of the courts in every way
possible. We also recognize that the legislation that produced the current
court management structure was crafted a generation ago. Since we are
always open to incorporating current best practices, we welcome the challenge of
integrating greater management expertise into the administration of the
nonjudicial aspects of our system. We look forward to seeing the details
of the Speaker's proposal and exploring ways in which we might ensure the
success of integrating such expertise over time. The judges, clerks, and
court employees who serve the public are eager to do so most
effectively.