Happy New Year!
Welcome back to the office (hopefully you all had at least a little well-needed time off this holiday season)!
We wanted to kick this year off right with some resources and updates.
Countdown to the New Year: 10 Ways to Ring in Your Mental Health
As we start a new year, judges, court staff, and law enforcement are often faced with hard cases and burnout, making some of those resolutions to take care of your health even harder!
Take a look at this article from Mental Health First Aid about how to look after your mental health and that of your friends, family, and co-workers this season.
Clerk Testing Goes Live Tomorrow!
It’s time! Exam registration opens tomorrow at 8 am.
To register for the exam just head to our exam website and click on “1. Register to take the exam online” then click the link for the appropriate exam.
This will take you to log into your TJCTC account and then you register like you would for one of our conferences.
To take the Master exam you must already be level one certified (you only need to have passed one of the level one exams).
Registration closes on January 16. The exams will open on January 17th and close on February 14th. For questions contact Darby Swoboda at d_s520@txstate.edu.
Continued Guidance on Magistration in Open Court
TJCTC has continued to receive questions on the ruling in Texas Tribune v. Caldwell County case from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
There have been concerns about not having enough time to implement procedures to make magistration hearings open. Unfortunately, this is just the nature of how court rulings can impact local procedures. Going forward, magistration proceedings must be open.
Please continue to work with your local partners – county/district attorneys, sheriff, and jail staff to ensure that your magistration proceedings are open. You can read more about the case in an earlier post on The Docket.
Read more from other groups here: Texas Commission on Jail Standards and Texas District and County Attorney’s Association.
NCSC Self-Represented Litigants:
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has compiled a page of resources for courts to use when assisting self-represented litigants (SRLs), including some very helpful videos that you can share on your website or in the courtroom!
Access the Resources Page: https://www.ncsc.org/consulting-and-research/areas-of-expertise/access-to-justice/self-represented-litigants
Access the Videos: https://www.ncsc.org/consulting-and-research/areas-of-expertise/access-to-justice/a2j-videos
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month
In January, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be kicking off the first national Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month – a time to raise awareness of the benefits and availability of evidence-based treatments for people with a substance use disorder.
So, check out our their Treatment Month Toolkit, and keep your eyes on all of SAMHSA’s social media platforms. There you’ll find our tips, resources and even webinars to help people learn more about what substance use disorder is and how it can be effectively treated.
Poverty Awareness Month
Every January is National Poverty Awareness Month.
This is a great time to think about access to justice issues in your courts and communities, because they are often related to poverty.
Some resources to review are:
- TJCTC’s recent post on Statements of Inability to Pay Court Costs
- TJCTC’s recent post on Accessibility & Access in the Courts
- Check out the recent NCSC Tiny Chat 151: 12 Scrappy Access to Justice Gifts
