2021 Judicial Conference Program

Each jurisdiction’s Jury Office has unique practices for handling the money that is distributed to jurors for their service. In order to ensure that each jury office is operating in the most efficient and financially responsible manner possible, the subcommittee created a Jury Office Finance Manual that outlines best practices for jury offices. The Judiciary’s automated juror management system has undergone several updates throughout the year and JIS will continue to oversee future updates. Several subcommittee members are also participating in a Text Message Notification work group with members of the Technology Committee and continue to work with the jury system’s vendor to go live. Court Reporting Work Group The Court Reporting Work Group met a few times this reporting period. The work group has undertaken a data collection effort which has produced a significant amount of information which it will be sorting through and using to guide future decisions and recommendations. The work group will be working to develop recommendations to present sometime in late 2020. Expungement Work Group The Expungement Work Group continued to update the Expungement Manual as necessary due to statutory changes. In the future, the work group would like to research creating an Expungement Unit that would be a centralized unit solely responsible for addressing expungements for the Maryland Judiciary. Legislative Review Work Group During the Legislative Session, the Legislative Work Group reviewed 62 bills. The work group opposed 31, including 5 opposed as drafted; took no position on 28 bills; and, supported 3 bills. Grant-Funded Positions Work Group The Grant-Funded Positions Work Group was created to follow up on the Courthouse Equity Subcommittee’s Final Report, which included a recommendation to address issues concerning grant funded salary equity over time through state and local budget and grant processes. The work group (1) collected and reviewed salary information, position descriptions, and organizational charts from circuit courts statewide, (2) supported discussion and informational sessions with the Conference of Circuit Court Administrators (3) compiled information about how each court handles state cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and merit increases that when authorized during the grant process, and (4) reviewed state-level classification and compensation information for certain positions. The work group is currently developing recommendations intended to improve knowledge, coordination, and transparency in the continued support for grant funded employees and the programs they help administer. The recommendations will be drafted for consideration by the State Court Administrator and vetted by the Court Operations Committee. Reserved Case Report Work Group The Reserved Case Report Work Group met three times during 2020. The work group administered two surveys, one to circuit court county administrative judges and court administrators and a second to judicial assistants and administrative assistants. The work group analyzed the results of this survey as part of an effort to gauge how to best improve the Reserved Case Report process. The work group is expected to conclude its efforts in 2021 with recommendations and proposed programming logic for identifying cases in the Odyssey (MDEC) case management system. Data and Statistical Reporting Work Group The Data & Statistical Reporting Work Group met five times during 2020. The work group reviewed over 30 Enterprise Custom Reports (ECRs) developed for Montgomery County’s MDEC go- live. The work group discussed how to best implement the reports statewide to support data quality and case management. The work group continues to analyze existing ECRs in Odyssey and update the logic to improve functionality and data collection. The work group will continue the analysis of existing and new reports through 2021.

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