For Immediate Release

Judiciary Earns National Excellence Award for Statistical Reporting

(ANNAPOLIS, Md. – September 25, 2015) The Maryland Judiciary has received the Court Statistics Project 2015 Reporting Excellence Award. The award from the national Conference of State Court Administrators recognizes Maryland’s leadership among state courts for data quality and reporting.

“Consistent and comparable data are essential to improve the management of our state courts and enhance the understanding of the work of the judicial branch. We congratulate the Maryland Judiciary, which has embraced the challenge of improving data quality and comparability,” said Richard Schauffler, Director of the Court Statistics Program at the National Center for State Courts.

Based on national guidelines, the Judiciary’s Administrative Office of the Courts expanded the number of trial court case types that it collects and reports and created a framework to improve reporting to meet the standards set by the National Center for State Courts.

“Statistics provide information that we can review and use to improve the way our courts operate,” said Pamela Harris, State Court Administrator. “Our achievement in expanding the scope and enhancing the quality of data that we report in a national framework is part of a larger goal within the Judiciary’s strategic plan. We have made a commitment to ongoing system improvements and building new performance measurements tools that will integrate both caseload and court-performance data. Also, in partnership with the National Center, we will build upon our recent achievement by enhancing our reporting at the statewide level and adopting several of the National Center’s ‘CourTools’ as best practices.”

“We have been able to align our reporting of statistical information much more closely with national reporting guidelines thanks to the collaborative efforts of many members of the Judiciary,” said Mary Ellen Barbera, Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals. “By utilizing these guidelines, we are better able to manage caseloads, compare our performance on a national level, and provide more detailed and relevant information to the public, lawyers, and other interested parties who need or want to be informed about the work of Maryland’s courts. This award recognizes the Maryland Judiciary’s efforts behind the scenes to provide statistical reporting that helps our courts provide fair, efficient, and effective justice.”

The award was announced at the annual joint meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators held last month in Omaha, Nebraska. A framed certificate noting the award recently was received by the Administrative Office of the Courts in Annapolis.

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