2021 Judicial Education Course Catalog

N O V E M B E R

TUE 26

Judicial Writing 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Circuit Court judges often rule from the bench, but thereare timeswhenawritten decision is required, necessary and/or desirable.

The Child Witness 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

THU 4

Perhapsyouhaveheardanattorneygrievanceorpostconviction matter. Perhaps you think it best to issue a written opinion in a complicated family lawmatter anagency appeal, or someother complex case. You have taken the case under advisement and now you must draft a written opinion. Our experienced faculty will focus on these types of cases and give you a framework for making this taskeasier for youandtheopinionmoreclear tothe parties(andtheappellatecourts,too)! Coordinator/Faculty: Judge Judith C. Ensor Faculty: Judge Anne Albright; Judge Stuart R. Berger; Judge Dana Moylan Wright

Child witnesses pose unique challenges in thecontextofbothcriminalandcivil(including familyanddomesticviolence) cases.When judges

are called upon to interview children or to assess the substance of interviews by other professionals, these challenges may be perplexing, sometimes worrisome, but certainly never easy for many reasonsbeyonda judge’s control. This coursewill: (1) provide an overview of the law governing children as witnesses in court proceedings; (2) explore thedevelopmental stages of childrenand the impact these stages have on howa child conveys information; and (3) provide information on evidence-based techniques for conducting an effective child interview and tips for judges to do so. Panels of experts in law enforcement, criminal prosecution, family law practitioners, and child psychology will help course participantsnavigate thechallenges involvingchildwitnesses. Coordinators: Judge Angela M. Eaves; Judge Cheri N. Simpkins Faculty: TBA

THU 28

Micro-Inequities 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Micro-inequities is a term coined by Mary Rowe in 1973 which describes "apparently

smalleventswhichareoftenephemeralandhard-to-prove,events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognized by the perpetrator, which occur wherever people are perceived to be different; and that can cause serious harm, especially in the aggregate."Theyarebasedonsubconsciousor implicitbiases, and nooneisimmune–notevenjudges.Now,morethanever,weneed tobeawareandbevigilantof thesemicro-aggressions. Please join us for this honest and open class on micro-inequities and how they appear in our courts. We will work to reflect on what micro- inequities are, dissect examples to better learn how to spot these transgressions when they present, and how to acknowledge and hold ourselves and others accountable for both our own implicit biasesandforrespondingtotheseinstanceswhentheyoccur. Coordinator: Judge Wayne A. Brooks Faculty: TBA

D E C E M B E R

FRI 3

Therapeutic Jurisprudence & Treatment 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

We see increasing numbers of grieving family members of victims of drug-related crime or defendants who died from an overdose. Children are trapped in an ongoing " stresspool " of conflict between their families resulting in contentious and sometimes never-ending adversarial hearings in family court. The legal costs rob children of college funding and economically destroy families. Increasing domesticviolencecasesoftenresult inanabuseof the legal system. Juvenile dockets reflect multiple repeat offenses, also driven by the same behavioral issues. Large numbers of cases are "closed at intake" without accountability or a resolution of the cause of the problem, even for repeat serious offenses. Criminal dockets are driven by alcohol and drug abuse or dependence, or behavioral health issues including mental health issues that play out in this adversarial process. Judges are called upon to preside over these cases, oftenwithout basic resources such as "real-time testing." Are we effectively responding to the therapeutic needs of those litigants? Even in those cases where some therapeutic remedy is ordered, do we follow through to ensure the "continuity of care?" Join us as we explore therapeutic jurisprudence and how judges can help save lives, reducedockets, and increase their jobsatisfaction. Coordinator/Faculty: Judge Ronald A. Silkworth (Ret.) Faculty: Judge Stacy W. McCormack; Judge J. Michael Wachs

FRI 29

Historical Trials OFFSITE — BALTIMORE 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. During the early twentieth century, an extremely

conservative Supreme Court routinely held social reform efforts to be unconstitutional as violations of the freedom of contract and property rights. The Court came into severe conflict with the social reform efforts of the NewDeal. In 1937, this conflict came to a head with the Roosevelt administration’s effort to expand the Court (or to pack the court) to protect the constitutionality ofmajorNewDeal initiatives, especially the new Social Security Act. This program will discuss the Court in the so-called Lochner era, the conflict with the New Deal, the court packing scheme, and the “Switch in time that savednine”,thatis,thechangeinSupremeCourtdoctrineannounced inWestCoastHotel v. Parish, that savedtheCourt andtheNewDeal. Enrollment Max: 50 Coordinator/Faculty: Judge Stephen J. Sfekas (Ret.)

2021 Judicial Education Course Catalog

Off-Site Course 25