Minnesota State Courts | 2003 Annual Report

Public Trust and Confidence

While most Minnesotans have confidence in the Minnesota Judicial Branch, they remain concerned about the timeliness and cost of bringing cases to court, and the judiciary’s treatment of persons of color. We remain committed to assessing public perspectives and educating citizens about the system and its challenges. Judicial Branch outreach programs reached more than 8,000 people in 2003. In addition to those who participated in special events, hundreds of students and adults visited the Minnesota Judicial Center in St. Paul and district courthouses across the state to observe court and meet with judges.

Studying Racial Disparities

• In 2001, the Judicial Branch began collecting self-reported race data in every criminal and juvenile case at first appearance. Minnesota is the first and only court system in the country to do so. The goal is to ensure accountability to all Minnesotans regardless of race, to allow the courts to identify racial disparities in the system and to change the practices that lead to disparities.

  In 2003, the court system released initial data that summarized adult major criminal filings and juvenile felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor case filings. Future reports will track the cases filed and then look at disposition and sentencing. The Judicial Branch intends to continue collecting race data so we can watch trends and examine impacts of new legislation and other factors related to people of color in the justice system.

• In January 2003, Ramsey County District Court released a study that showed defendants’ race information does not factor into judges’ decisions during the pre-trial phase of criminal court. The study looked at judicial decisions in relation to race, the defendant’s prior history and the defendant’s score on a bail evaluation tool. Starting in 2001, the study reviewed 235 pre-trial evaluation forms. Full results are available at www.courts.state.mn.us in the News section.

Observing a Decade of Work to Erase Racial Disparities

Several bar and public events marked the 10th anniversary of the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Racial Bias in the Judicial System report, which recommended ways in which the Judicial Branch should improve access to justice for all Minnesotans and erase racial disparities. The events included:

• A program called Forging Ahead: Creating a Racially Fair Future for the Courts at Hamline University in St. Paul. It included an explanation of the court system’s Race Data Collection Project, a presentation about the Council on Crime and Justice and the University of Minnesota Law School Institute on Race and Poverty’s Minnesota Statewide Racial Profiling Report, and discussions about how the justice system can become more racially fair in the future.
• Attorney education about progress since the Task Force Report.
• Speeches by Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, Chair of the Implementation Committee for Multicultural Diversity and Racial Fairness in the Courts, to the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Minneapolis and other public groups.
• Community forums in Cloquet, Duluth and Minneapolis, during which judges and criminal justice representatives explained efforts to eliminate racial disparities in the courts. They also received public suggestions for improvements and answered questions.

Surveying Customer Satisfaction

Hennepin County District Court became one of the first courts in the country to survey court customers about whether they felt their treatment in court was fair. Research suggests that defendants and plaintiffs who believed the judge listened to them and treated them fairly were more likely to follow a judge’s order than those who had less confidence in the system. During 2003, the Hennepin County District Court:

• Studied judges’ behavior by interviewing 150 attorneys, and an additional 25 court employees and non-attorneys for each district court judge. The information will be used internally to improve judges’ professional development and continuing education.
• Interviewed drug court participants about their continued contact with the court after sentencing and while on probation.
• Surveyed customers who contest parking and traffic tickets at the court’s hearing office. The surveys focused on customer service issues, such as how much time citizens waited in line and how staff members treated them.
• Interviewed plaintiffs and respondents about their understanding of family court order for protection rulings. The study compared peoples’ responses to a judge’s full explanations of rulings and to rulings given without explanation.
• Assessed juveniles and family members in juvenile court to see if they are left with a better feeling about court following a brief orientation given prior to their first appearance.

Study results will be tabulated in 2004.

Keeping in Touch with the Community

Judges from the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, as well as their law clerks and staff members, served lunch to nearly 350 people in need at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul. The first-time barbecue, paid for by the judges who participated, allowed judges and court staff to get out from behind the bench and reach out to the community.

Reaching Out to Communities of Color

Minnesota judges teamed up with Minneapolis Patrick Henry High School and the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans to discuss justice issues with students and their families. Judges, students and family members met during a formal program about family law and participated in roundtable discussions about immigration, criminal law, law enforcement and justice issues during a potluck Asian dinner. The evening program followed a full day of student sessions as part of a special issues day in which students signed up for seminars.

Preparing Jurors for Service

State Court Administration unveiled a new jury service video that better prepares jurors for service in court. The 11-minute video was created from the juror’s point of view and provides information about jury summons and selection, and what happens during a trial and jury deliberations.

Highlighting Innovations

For the past four years, Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz has visited judicial districts to learn from the experiences of concerned citizens across the state. The “Court Innovations Tours” also allow her to meet with trial court judges, administrators and local attorneys, increase public awareness of the judiciary’s challenges and highlight local court innovations. Tours include community events, meetings with local criminal justice organizations and panel discussions highlighting new justice initiatives. In 2003, the Chief Justice visited West Central Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District.

Mentoring the Next Generation

Legal Expo

Nearly 700 Minnesota students and their teachers learned about the justice system from judges during the annual Legal Expo in Brooklyn Center. The presentations included information about juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system, the role of judges and the structure of the Judicial Branch. Students also participated in a “You Be the Judge” activity in which they ruled on mock cases.

Traveling Oral Arguments

In an effort to teach Minnesotans about the courts, the Supreme Court continued its tradition of holding oral arguments in schools across the state. Twice a year, the Court hears oral arguments of actual cases in schools and then opens the program to questions from students in attendance and watching via television. Attorneys from local bar associations volunteer to review case briefs and prepare students for oral arguments.

The Court visited Morris in spring 2003 and Winona in the fall. Both visits included dinners open to the public. The events allowed judges to meet the people they serve and learn about the challenges and innovations of the justice system across the state. Nearly 4,000 students and adults participated in the visits.

Law Day

Almost 600 Hibbing and Virginia students celebrated Law Day on May 1 by touring Sixth Judicial District courthouses and meeting judges. Virginia students in grades 3-12 learned about courtrooms from judges, including the 1910 Virginia Courthouse’s unique double-seated witness stand used by interpreters in the early 1900s when many residents did not speak English. Older students focused on the importance of an independent judiciary.

Other Law Day events across the state included:

• Supreme Court Justice James Gilbert and Brown County District Court Judge John Rodenberg speaking to nearly 200 sixth-grade students in New Ulm.
• Goodhue County judges speaking to local Civics classes and helping celebrate the local law library’s first Law Day Poster Contest.
• Dakota County recognizing its jurors by proclaiming May 1 Law Day and Juror Appreciation Day.
• Kanabec County District Court hosting programs for 135 Mora students, including mock trials planned by judges and court staff.
• Jackson County District Court Judge Linda Titus and local attorneys meeting with Jackson students to discuss the Bill of Rights and other legal issues.
• Counties in Northwest Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District hosting students at various locations for an interactive television presentation by Supreme Court Justice Russell Anderson and Court of Appeals Chief Judge Edward Toussaint.

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