2025 Judicial Education Course Catalog

JUNE

JUNE 13 Foundations of a Criminal Judge - Circuit Court with Hon. Robert Taylor

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 Deconstructing Routine Traffic 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Judges will gain an appreciation of the reality that minor traffic dockets may be “routine” to the bench but not to defendants and civilian witnesses. The judge will be able to identify the relevant issues related to the commonly issued minor traffic citations. We will also visit and discuss the importance of applying the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard of proof when

TUESDAY, JUNE 17 Understanding and Identifying Biases to Eliminate Roadblocks to Procedural Fairness D I & 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Do we really understand and recognize those unintentional biases that impact our rulings and decisions in a case? Are we even aware of those biases? If you are interested in exploring answers to these questions, then we invite you to take this course. In this course, participants will explore further the meaning of implicit, explicit, and unconscious bias; learn how and why a person’s race, culture, gender identity, religion, or disability could result in unintentional biases influencing the outcome of a case or the treatment of a litigant; and engage in facilitated discussions to explore best practices to ensure procedural fairness in all cases. Coordinator: Hon. Yolanda Curtin TUESDAY, JUNE 24 Opinion Writing for Family Law Judges and Magistrates 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The trial is over - now what? This course will offer a variety of perspectives on writing opinions and reports in custody and divorce merits/property cases, including when to write an opinion and when to provide it orally. Though each case differs, the faculty will discuss how templates can help craft an opinion. The course will include tips on organizing trial notes while effectively writing opinions or delivering rulings from the bench. Coordinator: Hon. Kathleen Dumais

adjudicating minor traffic cases. Coordinator: Hon. Kerwin Miller Deconstructing Serious Traffic 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Why so serious? This training will focus on the heightened significance of must-appear serious traffic cases. We will study the commonly issued must-appear citations, with an emphasis on evaluating drunk and drugged driving cases without a breath or blood test. In doing so, we will examine related Fourth Amendment concerns, including license plate readers. We will also discuss best practice probation considerations and options for serious traffic cases, with special attention to medical marijuana use. After taking this training, you will better understand why citations must appear as serious business! Coordinator: Hon. Kerwin Miller TUESDAY, JUNE 10 Removing Barriers to Inclusivity, Justice, and Fairness D I & 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This class will identify barriers to inclusion, fairness, and equity in the courtroom related to gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, neurodivergence, and cultural diversity, with practical suggestions for making our courtrooms more welcoming and just and our rulings better informed. Coordinator: Hon. Cathy Serrette

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Judicial College of Maryland