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LASC Announces Strategic Plan to Improve Access to Justice
By Kimber Cooley, associate editor
The Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday released a three-year strategic plan to strengthen access to justice, build public trust in the judiciary, modernize operations, and develop a “forward-looking” court.
In the 16-page document titled “2025-2028 Strategic Plan: Planning for the Future of the Court,” the largest unified superior court in the nation laid out the importance of “educat[ing] the public on the role of…the judicial branch as an independent, co-equal branch of government” and said the body is committed to “[e]ngag[ing] with and listen[ing] to communities across Los Angeles County, particularly those where trust in the [system] may be lacking.”
Light on details as to how the court plans to accomplish these goals, the court makes sweeping promises to improve court conditions, such as committing to collaboration “with community organizations to strengthen the Court’s connection to all communities” and to building “a positive court brand through consistent and meaningful engagement and communication.”
Education Effort
As part of the positive-branding effort, the document asserts that the court will “[e]ducate the public, stakeholders, court employees and judicial officers on the importance of judicial independence” and “[t]ake appropriate action to address threats to the integrity…of the judiciary.”
Saying that the court will develop and expand court programs and referrals that “address litigants’ and families’ needs,” the court promised that it will “collaborate with agencies and stakeholders to fill gaps and expand access to services and programs.”
Additionally, the plan highlights the need to recruit and retain a “mission-driven and engaged judicial bench,” committing to developing “human resources…policies that meet the evolving expectations of the employee workforce” and aligning employee compensation with market rates.
Remarking that “[t]he Court’s environment will be welcoming, innovative, and rewarding,” the document pledges increased collaboration with labor unions to create a positive work environment and to invest in programs that “prepare the next generation of the Court’s judicial and administrative leaders.”
The court also declared that it will improve case management practices to increase the timely resolution of cases and take steps to plan for needed facility upgrades.
Use of Technology
Enhancing the use of technology is also highlighted as essential to meeting the court’s goals, with commitments to “[r]eimagin[ing] service delivery for self-represented, limited English proficient and other users with specific needs” and to using emerging tools to improve operational efficiency.
Also highlighted in yesterday’s announcement was the need to “influence laws and policies that affect the Court and the judicial branch,” including advocating for the expansion of “virtual access to court hearings” and educating “policymakers…about the Court’s operational, facility and funding/resource needs.”
In yesterday’s press release accompanying the plan, Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II said:
“Recognizing the evolving needs of the communities we serve, the Court has made significant strides in recent years to ensure fair and equitable access to justice across Los Angeles. With the launch of this Strategic Plan, we take the next step, accelerating our efforts with clarity and purpose to shape a court defined by judicial excellence and innovation. The public rightly expects the judiciary to keep pace with rapid advancements in technology and service delivery. We will meet those expectations by harnessing data, embracing innovation, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Our Court will be accessible to all, trusted by all, and just for all.”
Budgetary Constraints
Yesterday’s announcement pledging salary improvements and facility upgrades follows months of handwringing over budgetary constraints faced by the state’s judicial branch. In January, California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero issued a public statement expressing concerns that proposed cuts to the court system could worsen vacancies at the superior court level.
At that time, Los Angeles Superior Court reported 25 vacancies, by far the highest deficit in judicial officers in the state.
By May, the concerns were largely allayed when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal shielded the judicial branch from cuts despite a $12 billion shortfall in the state’s finances. As of Sept. 1, however, the Los Angeles Superior Court still reported 22 judicial vacancies.
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