AC/UNU Millennium Project
Factors Required for Successful Implementation of
Futures Research in Decision Making

Appendix C: Attachments related to "Futures in the Virginia Judiciary: A Continuing Success Story" example

Attachment1: Mission Statement and the 10 Visions from the Strategic Plan for Virginia's Judicial System

Mission

To provide an independent, accessible, responsive forum for the just resolution of disputes in order to preserve the rule of law and to protect all rights and liberties guaranteed by the United States and Virginia Constitutions.

Vision 1

In the future, all persons will have effective access to justice, including the opportunity to resolve disputes without undue hardship, cost, inconvenience or delay.

Vision 2

In the future, the court system will maintain human dignity and the rule of law, by ensuring equal application of the judicial process to all controversies.

Vision 3

In the future, the judicial system will be managed actively to provide an array of dispute resolution alternatives that respond to the changing needs of society.

Vision 4

In the future, Virginia's judicial system will be structured and will function in a manner that best facilitates the expeditious, economical and fair resolution of disputes.

Vision 5

In the future, the courts of Virginia will be administered in accordance with sound management practices which foster the efficient use of public resources and enhance the effective delivery of court services.

Vision 6

In the future, the court system will be adequately staffed by judges and court personnel of the highest professional qualifications, chosen for their positions on the basis of merit and whose performance will be enhanced by continuing education and performance evaluations. Lawyers, who constitute an essential element in the legal system, will receive a quality pre-professional and continuing education befitting the higher professional and ethical standards to which they will be held, and the need to become increasingly service-oriented in their relationships with clients.

Vision 7

In the future, technology will increase the access, convenience and ease of use of the courts for all citizens and will enhance the quality of justice by increasing the courts' ability to determine facts and reach a fair decision.

Vision 8

In the future, the public's perception of the Virginia judicial system will be one of confidence in and respect for the courts and for legal authority.

Vision 9

In the future, the impact of changing socioeconomic and legal forces will be systematically monitored and the laws of Virginia will provide both the substantive and procedural means for responding to these changes.

Vision 10

In the future, the judicial system will fulfill its role within our constitutional system by maintaining its distinctiveness and independence as a separate branch of government.

Attachment 2: Objectives and Tasks associated with Vision 4

Vision 4

In the future, Virginia’s judicial system will be structured and will function in a manner that best facilitates the expeditious, economical and fair resolution of disputes.

Objective 4.1

To structure the judicial system in a manner that best enables the prompt, fair and cost-effective resolution of disputes.

Task 4.1.1

Propose legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals to include all civil appeals with a commensurate number of judges and staff to handle the increased workload. Task 4.1.2 Propose legislation to authorize the Chief Justice to designate and temporarily assign any judge, with his or her consent, to sit at any trial court level. Task 4.1.3 Conduct a study of the venue statutes to identify jurisdictional distinctions which, if eliminated, would make access to courts more effective. Objective 4.2

To simplify legal procedures to enhance judicial effectiveness and efficiency.
 

Task 4.2.1

Continue to seek adoption of legislation to provide that, when a preliminary hearing is held, establishment of probable cause at that hearing will be sufficient to initiate a trial in the circuit court without indictment by the grand jury. Task 4.2.2 Develop and conduct a pilot test using videoconferencing for appellate arguments, based on the experiences of other judicial systems and the needs of Virginia’s appellate courts. Task 4.2.3 Monitor the joint study on local rules being conducted by the Senate and House Courts of Justice Committees. Objective 4.3

To create a single trial court with comprehensive jurisdiction for the handling of legal issues relating to children and families.

Task 4.3.1

Secure funding to establish the family court in Virginia.

Attachment 3: a page from the "1998 - 1999 PPMS Special Projects " spread sheets

(is not available in the web version)

Attachment 4: This is a page from the Project Monitoring System computer printout, showing who is assigned to each task, how many hours are to be devoted to it (and were actually spent on it) and a start and finish date for each task.

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Sources used for the case "Futures in the Virginia Judiciary: A Continuing Success Story":

Courts in Transition. A Report of the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Judicial System, Supreme Court of Virginia, 1989.

Foresight 2000: A Strategic Plan for the Judicial System of Virginia. Supreme Court of Virginia, (Biannually since 1990. Current version is FY 1998-99.

Future View. A Quarterly Newsletter of Trends and Issues. Judicial Planning Department, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia (since 1992)

Kathy Mays, "Futures Research and the Judiciary: Virginia's Experience," Futures Research Quarterly, Spring 1994, Vol. 10, No. 1, 31-35.

The Public as Partners: Incorporating Consumer Research into Strategic Planning for Courts, Judicial Council of Virginia 1994.

Virginia's Courts at the Millennium: 1999-2001 Strategic Plan Themes. Judicial Planning Department, Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, April/May 1999.

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