2021 Judicial Conference Program

Court Access and Community Relations Committee Hon. Pamela J. White, Chair

PURPOSE

The Court Access and Community Relations Committee addresses barriers to access to the courts and legal services in Maryland. It also strengthens public awareness of the Judiciary’s programs, projects, services, and initiatives, and promotes knowledge and understanding of the Judiciary.

MEMBERS

Mary Abrams, Joan Bellistri, Hon. Philip Caroom, Hon. Toni Clarke, Hon. Amy Craig, Hon. Christopher Fogleman, Hon. Karen Murphy Jensen, Magistrate Marla Johnson, Judy Lohman, Hon. Larnzell Martin, Jr., Hon. Mark Scurti, and Hon. Brett R. Wilson. Pamela Cardullo Ortiz, staff.

SUBCOMMITTEES AND WORK GROUPS

Accessibility & Accommodations Subcommittee – Hon. Pamela J. White, Chair Community Relations Subcommittee – Hon. Pamila Brown, Chair Language Access Subcommittee – Hon. Toni Clarke, Chair Self-Represented Litigant Subcommittee – Hon. Brett R. Wilson, Chair Joint Subcommittee on Communications and Access to Judicial Information - Hon. Thurman Rhodes, Chair

(Reporting Period – October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020)

Summary of the Committee’s Work Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 health crisis has occasioned extraordinary departmental activities by both Access to Justice and Government Relations and Public Affairs. Myriad departmental initiatives have been critical to support and advance access to justice in the face of the long-term disruption of standard operating procedures, e.g., communicating and promoting compliance with successive administrative protocols with all manner of stakeholders; adapting self-help resources to serve remotely; training interpreters to work remotely; devising instructions for interpreting in Zoom proceedings; developing a Remote Proceeding Toolkit for self-represented litigants; preparing instructions for remote proceedings in Zoom by sensory-disabled persons. Court Accessibility Toolkit & Accommodations Page In fall 2019, the committee approved and published the Court Accessibility Toolkit and revised the accommodations page developed by Access to Justice with the Accessibility & Accommodations Subcommittee. The toolkit includes tools and resources to aid courts in responding to the needs of persons with disabilities. It includes the following sections: Courthouse Entrance, Clerk’s Office, In the Courtroom, and References. The Reference section includes a summary of Maryland State and Federal Laws on Accessibility along with other helpful resources. The revised Accommodations page includes information on requesting an accommodation, filing a grievance, a list of ADA Coordinators, forms, and resources. Advisements in MDEC Batch Notices The committee endorsed the use of multilingual advisements in court notices. This initiative was taken up by the Major Projects Committee and JIS. The committee recommended to provide a notice in English and five priority languages (Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Spanish) that advises litigants on how to request an accommodation and how to request an interpreter. The project has been tested and is anticipated to be initiated for District Court batch notices in fall 2020.

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