Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Lee said Monday she could sum up the state of the judiciary in one word: Great.
Of course, she went on to use a few more words to give details to several hundred Rotary Club members who attended Monday’s weekly meeting at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville. She emphasized how the judiciary has made innovation a recent priority, bringing in new technologies and programs to help the judiciary be more effective and more efficient.
“The judiciary is known for being deliberate, thoughtful and not always very innovative,” Chief Justice Lee said. “We are still deliberate and thoughtful, but we are in the midst of many exciting and innovative projects to modernize the judiciary.”
Chief Justice Lee provided an update on the business pilot project, which was launched in Davidson County one year ago and has been extremely successful in improving the process for business litigants in the area. One component the project uses is a survey for parties and attorneys involved in the cases. Chief Justice Lee said the feedback from that tool has been fantastic.
E-filing is another tool that the Court plans to use to make doing business with the courts easier. Several pilots are ongoing in trial courts throughout the state and an e-filing project in the appellate courts is underway.
She went on to say that juvenile justice will be a focus of the judiciary in the coming months, as Tennessee courts partner with other groups to explore things such as Adverse Childhood Experiences and how the courts can play a role in getting children on the right track.
Indigent defense is another priority for the judiciary right now. A statewide task force, led by Nashville School of Law Dean William Koch, Jr., has been appointed by the Supreme Court to study the issue. Dean Koch, a Rotary Club of Nashville member, introduced Chief Justice Lee at the meeting today.
“We decided it was time to take a serious look at this issue and bring together the best minds to come up with some solutions. We have to find a better way of doing things. We can’t keep doing the same thing and hoping for a different result,” Lee said.
Chief Justice Lee also spoke about the Court’s ongoing initiative for Access to Justice. While representation in criminal cases is guaranteed by the Constitution, civil cases provide no such guarantee, often leading to myriad problems for those that cannot afford legal counsel when there are issues with landlords, healthcare coverage, or employment.
Tennessee’s Access to Justice initiative is a leader in the nation in supporting the cause, but a large gap still exists between the need and the services provided.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about making good, sound decisions and treating everyone fairly and with respect,” she said.
