The Supreme Judicial Court has reviewed the
recommendations presented in the “Action
Plan for Hiring and Promotion of Employees of the Trial Court Recorder, Clerks
and Registers of Probate
.” The new report is the fifth in a series of comprehensive
reviews with each exploring a different part of the court system, led by the
SJC’s Task Force for Hiring in the Judicial Branch, chaired by former Attorney
General Scott Harshbarger.
The Action Plan reinforces
the core principles and best practices approach outlined in the prior reports,
including emphasis on the need for the Trial Court’s Human Resources Department
to have an enlarged role in recruitment, hiring, promotion, training and
performance evaluation of court employees. The Task Force recommends that
the clerks, registers and the recorder, who are the appointing authorities for
their offices, continue to make the final decisions on the applicants hired to
work in their offices, but underscores that each applicant should meet common,
statewide minimum qualifications for various positions and participate in
standard Trial Court employee training programs and evaluations.
Chief Justice for Administration & Management Robert A.
Mulligan has established a 21-member committee, chaired by Juvenile Court Chief
Justice Michael F. Edgerton, to undertake a thorough review of the Trial Court’s
Personnel Policies and Procedures. The committee will follow the
recommendations set forth in the SJC Task Force Reports to enhance the role of
the Human Resources Department so that, when the Trial Court hiring freeze is
lifted in the future, it will be prepared to provide effective oversight of the
hiring and promotion of employees and perform other expanded HR
duties.
“The Personnel Policy Committee includes judges, clerks,
probation and administrative staff to ensure the involvement of all Trial Court
departments and functional areas,” said Chief Justice Mulligan. “This
critical effort will ensure our effective implementation of the recommendations
on merit-based hiring and promotion provided in the series of excellent reports
submitted by the SJC Task Force on Hiring.”
Chief Justice Roderick
L. Ireland thanked the SJC Task Force members for their continuing efforts to
assist the Judicial Branch with recommendations to strengthen recruitment,
hiring and promotion practices throughout the court system. He said, “We
will continue to implement the Task Force recommendations to bolster public
confidence in the way that court employees are recruited, promoted and
trained. I commend the Task Force members for their diligent, thoughtful
work.”
The SJC Task Force will prepare a final report to the Court
that will include the tasks and challenges ahead for the judicial branch and its
leadership to implement reforms to achieve a first rate, merit-based system of
hiring and promotion throughout the Judicial Branch. The Task Force also
will continue to monitor the transformation of hiring and promotion practices in
the Probation Department.
The Task Force members are Scott
Harshbarger, chair; Randy S. Chapman, Stephen P. Crosby, Kathleen M. Dennehy,
Kathleen M. Donovan, Ruth Ellen Fitch, Michael B. Keating, Hon. James F. McHugh,
Harry Spence and Steven H. Wright.