Fairness, Respect, Integrity, Innovation and Safety March 2018

Judicial Branch News

Mock Trial TournamentPage 3

Court Hosts Regional Mock Trial Tournament

Judicial Branch News

The Judicial Branch News is an online newsletter published by the Media Relations Department.

Contributing WritersJudge Dewain Fox

Dr. Christopher BleuensteinJustin MayseTammi Asay

Nicole Garcia

Contributing EditorsBryan BouchardVincent Funari

Dennis CarpenterClara Colmenero

Norma Quiroz

Features

3 Court Hosts Regional Mock Trial Tournament

4 Employees Take Part in Crucial Conversations

5 Photo Highlights: Judge Mandell Investiture

6 Employee Anniversaries

7 Safe Surrender

8 Judicial Branch Retirements

9 Security Employee Recognition Ceremony

Vol 11 Issue 3 Contents

March 2018

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Court News

Court Hosts Regional Mock Trial TournamentOn March 3, 2018, 34 teams from 19 high schools competed in the Arizona High School Mock Trial Program’s regional tournament in the South Court Tower. The Mock Trial Program is one of the Arizona Bar Foundation’s (also known as the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education) premiere law-related education programs.

The Judicial Branch in Maricopa County is an important partner in the Mock Trial Program. The Maricopa County regional tournament has been held in the downtown court facilities since the program’s inception in the 1980s. The Court’s judicial officers also have a long history of supporting the program--and this year was no exception. At this year’s tournament, Judges Joseph Welty, Howard Sukenic and James Smith, and Commissioners Brian Rees, Laura Giaquinto, Lauren Guyton, Lindsey Coates and Lindsay Abramson volunteered as presiding/scoring judges for the tournament. Judges Pamela Gates, Ronee Korbin-Steiner and Lisa VandenBerg dedicated long hours coaching teams that participated in the tournament. Judge Dewain Fox coordinated the tournament and managed the scoring room.

Several Judicial Branch staff members also were critical to the tournament’s success. Deputy Court Administrator Karen Westover coordinated use of the Court’s facilities for the tournament and was the Court’s on site administrator for the 12-hour duration of the tournament. In addition, Security Director Sean Gibbs’ team screened almost 1,000 participants and observers, ensuring a safe, secure environment for the tournament.

The judicial officers who judged the tournament were impressed with the caliber of the high school students competing at this year’s tournament. Teams advancing from the Maricopa County regional tournament to the state tournament are from Arizona School for the Arts (3 teams), Trivium Preparatory Academy, Veritas Preparatory Academy (2 teams) and Xavier College Preparatory (2 teams). The state tournament was March 24, at the Sandra Day O’Connor United States District Courthouse. Several judicial officers from the Maricopa County Superior Court were at the state tournament. The state champion will represent Arizona at the 2018 National High School Mock Trial Championship, which will be held May 10-12, 2018, in Reno, Nevada.

By Judge Dewain FoxSuperior Court Judge

Court News

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Employees Take Part in Crucial Conversation Dozens of leaders from throughout the Judicial Branch have been attending a course entitled “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High” to enhance leadership and supervisory practices throughout the Branch. Crucial Conversations is a two-day course, led by specially trained Branch staff members, that teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics at all levels of an organization. Leaders in Adult Probation were some of the first to attend this course, with Court and Juvenile Probation leaders now completing it as well.

Court News

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Photo Highlights: Judge Mandell InvestitureSuperior Court recognized the judicial appointment of Judge Michael Mandell with an investiture ceremony held in the Board of Supervisors Auditorium on March 2. Currently, Judge Mandell presides over a Family Department calendar.

Judge Michael Mandel (left) recites the oath of office.Maricopa County Bar Association President Hon. Judge Geoffrey Fish (right) presents a ceremonial gavel to Judge Mandell (left).

Judges Visit the Legislature

Recently, a group of judicial officers visited the Arizona State Legislature to shadow lawmakers for a day. Commissioner Julie Mata (left) and Judge Joshua Rogers (right) are introduced on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives.

Allen Henninger Judicial Branch Security Officer Andrew Kreighbaum Adult Probation Officer Clay Proulx Programmer/Analyst - Sr/Ld Delma Castellanos Judicial Assistant Edward Sawyer Judicial Branch Security Sergeant Gerald Jones Juvenile Detention Officer Supervisor Maria Cardenas-Hriczko Judicial Clerk Associate Samantha Jim Judicial Assistant Shane Monroe Applications Development Manager Shelby Chaney Adult Probation Officer Utiki Spurling Court Commissioner Warren Morris III Bailiff

Christine Mulleneaux Court Commissioner Lissa Wallick Judicial Assistant

Jeffery Hanton Judicial Clerk Lead Michael Czerniejewski Juvenile Probation Officer Supervisor

Andrea Teasley Adult Surveillance Officer Angela Harper Juvenile Probation Officer Supervisor Karen Barnes Adult Probation Officer Laura Carr Adult Probation Officer Mike Moe Adult Probation Officer Pete Sanborn Adult Probation Officer Supervisor

Robert Villasenor Adult Surveillance Officer

Claude Renfro Adult Probation Officer

Tara Kramer Court Reporter

Employee Anniversaries

Court News

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* Information provided by the Human Resources Department

5 Years

15 Years

10 Years

20 Years

30 Years

33 Years

32 Years

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Court News

Safe Surrender Why We Have COJET

Password Security

by Dr. Christopher G. Bleuenstein, Ph.D. Criminal Court Administrator

Justin MayseAdult Probation Department

Court Technology Services created a password self-service unlock tool that is awaiting implementation.

CTS posted a training video and an instruction manual in the CTS Technical

Support section of http://courts.maricopa.gov/techSupport/index.asp.

The Criminal Department held a Warrant Safe Surrender on March 9th to allow defendants with outstanding bench warrants to come in and resolve their warrant. The last such event held by this Court was in 2006. Due to changes in our process and changes in technology, we were able to take an innovative approach to this issue. Since we now collect cellphone numbers at the time of booking, a limited number of defendants were invited to appear via text message. After meeting with stakeholders it was agreed the target population would be defendants with an active warrant out of RCC or EDC and the case could not involve a victim. Victim cases were not included because victim notification is required, which may take up to seven days. Approximately 400 defendants were notified via text message; the Court had no idea if (due to the passage of time) the message would reach the intended recipients. On March 9th Judge Myers heard the morning calendar and the afternoon calendar was heard by Commissioner Giaquinto. Adult Probation prepared files for the judicial officers and made recommendations in court for those individuals on probation. They also met with those defendants immediately after the hearing. The event resulted in 20 defendants being seen (and 25 cases being addressed), ten of those twenty were actually sentenced, three of the twenty entered TASC and the remaining seven defendants had their warrant quashed and a new hearing was set for them to appear at a later date. While this event was small in scale, it has given our court an opportunity to address old problems in new ways, and will give us insight into future events where larger populations can be helped.

COJET refers to the “Committee on Judicial Education and Training” and is associated with the training and development standards and requirements we all have to take each year in order to maintain our employment within the branch. This committee is made up of various Judicial Branch representatives throughout the state of Arizona overseen by the Arizona Supreme Court. What is often lost in our annual rush to finish our minimum training requirements is the why. Why is COJET important? Why is it a required component of our employment? One might say, “It’s because judicial officers have to and so therefore all employees have to as well.” While there is some truth to that answer, the real reasons are much more than that. As employees of the Judicial Branch, we have a duty to maintain the nobility of the court as well as the trust of the public to protect the rights of free citizens.

Training and continuous education opportunities are privileges that the Judicial Branch affords to us and is one of the pillars of what makes this a court of excellence amongst all courts nationwide. The Judicial Branch significantly invests in providing professional development and educational opportunities to the entire organization. It is this higher standard of training that allows us to continue to not only be competent in our jobs, but also to be innovative in our daily responsibilities in maintaining that public trust in the court.

President John F. Kennedy once wrote, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” These words touch on the essence and purpose of COJET training as outlined by the Administrative Office of the Courts that state, “The task of maintaining judicial competence depends on the willingness of the judiciary itself to assure that its members are knowledgeable and skilled in the study of the law and its development”. It is this idea that leadership is at its best when leaders are learning, whether that is through new ways to manage employees, or learning about updates to case law. Within all of us is the potential to be leaders in our field, but only if we are willing to be continually learning and applying that to our daily jobs.

In essence, the question we should ask ourselves about COJET is not why we have to do it, but rather what we need to do to maintain the level of reliability, trust and nobility that makes the Judicial Branch of Arizona a court of excellence. It is this understanding of the importance of COJET training that will lead our Branch into the future and allow it to maintain its national reputation of excellence and innovation.

Court News

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Sandra Mena Says Farewell

Friends and colleagues said goodbye to Criminal Judicial Assistant Trainer Sanda Mena during her retirement party in the South Court Tower. Mena, who retired after 16 years of service, worked as a clerk and as a judicial assistant to Superior Court Judges Thomas O’Toole and Margaret Mahoney.

Commissioner Retires Pamela Harmon Retires

Scott Loos Retires

Scott Loos, a court interpreter and supervisor with Court Interpretation and Translation Services (CITS), retired after 39 years of service to the Court. CITS hosted a retirement party for Loos. During the celebration, CITS Manager Brian Bledsoe presented Loos with a plaque for his dedicated service.

Dr. Christopher G. Bleuenstein (right) presents Pamela Harmon (left) a plaque during her retirement celebration. Harmon, who started her career as a minute reader and has been assigned to many other areas within the department over the course of her career, will be retiring after 12 years of service.

Submitted by Shari Andersen-HeadCriminal Department

Commissioner Lisa Roberts announced her retirement effective April 29.

Commissioner Roberts was appointed to the Bench in 2003. Since then, she has served on various assignments in the Criminal Department, which included a stint as the Presiding Commissioner in Initial Appearance Court. She also worked as a Commissioner in

the Family Department from 2011-2013.

“During her years on the bench Lisa has been the consummate professional; doing what needs to be done without complaint and always on the lookout for ways to make the Court operate more effectively and efficiently,” Presiding Judge Janet Barton said.

Comm. Lisa Roberts

Court News

Security Employee Recognition Ceremony

Maida Torres - Employee of the Quarter Sergio Gaxiola - Downtown Region Winner

Jonathan Solis receives his officer badge Michael Hale receives his officer badge

On March 29, the Judicial Branch Security Department held an awards ceremony to honor its employees of the quarter and hand out badges to recently hired officers. Presiding Judge Janet Barton and Judicial Branch Administrator Ray Billotte attended the ceremony to show support for the security officers’ exemplary work. (Not pictured -Ed Butera, East Region Winner and Carlos Vasquez, Adult Probation Region Winner)

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Tammi Asay and Catherine Soileau visited Gilbert Municipal Court to conduct employee training on Rule 11 and Title 36 Court.

Submitted by Tammi AsayJudicial Clerk Supervisor

Court News

Mental Health Training in Gilbert

Submitted by Nicole GarciaDirector of Jury Services

The Jury Office is pleased to announce Antoine Jones as the new Arizona Lengthy Trial Fund Coordinator (ALTF) for Superior Court. Antoine has been with the Jury Office for a year and a half and is known for his patience and friendly demeanor with the jurors.

Antoine Jones

Jury Fund Coordinator Courthouse Experience

Judge Hugh Hegyi speaks to a fourth grade class from Basis Chandler as part of a Courthouse Experience tour. In addition to speaking to Judge Hegyi, the students took part in a mock trial and visited the Justice and Police Museums inside the Old Courthouse.

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