JUSTICE SYSTEM DEGREE PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO

Justice System Journal, 2005 by Richardson, James T, Robinson, Jane L, Schaar-Buis, Denise

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is home to two unique organizations tnat are well-known within justice-system continuing-education circles. The National Judicial College (NJC), established by the American Bar Association over forty years ago, offers dozens of courses per year. In 2004 more than 2,700 judges from around the world took courses at the NJC. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), also headquartered at UNR for over forty years, is the largest educational organization in the country, if not the world, on juvenile and family issues. Last year it offered training, conferences, and other programs in the area of juvenile justice and family concerns to over 25,000 participants at events around the country, including a number in Nevada.

The presence of these two internationally known organizations on the university campus has given impetus to cooperation between the two independent entities and the university. The synergy developed by the three organizations has led to joint research projects and programming of various kinds, as well as the development of jointly sponsored degree programs for those having careers in the justice system.1 The university entity with which the NJC and NCJFCJ work most closely is the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies (GSCJS), a research-and-public-service arm of the university that focuses on justice issues. The Sawyer Center is also the home of two major graduatedegree programs that are offered jointly with the NCJFCJ and the NJC.

JUDICIAL STUDIES DEGREE PROGRAM

The longest running of the two degree programs is Judicial Studies, which was approved by the university's Board of Regents in 1986 (see www.judicialstudies. unr.edu). This master's degree program was modeled in part on the only other graduate-degree program for judges in the country, which is offered by the University of Virginia Law School. The Virginia program focuses on appellate judges, whereas the University of Nevada program focuses on trial judges, including general jurisdiction, juvenile, and family court judges.

The university's program includes courses developed and offered by the university, as well as offerings by the NJC and the NCJFCJ. The Judicial Studies curriculum developed by the three entities is designed to fill gaps in formal education and training received by judges before their appointments and during their professional practice, updating judges on new developments in various areas of the law. A special emphasis of the program is on evaluating expert and scientific evidence of various types. A number of courses are offered in this area of judicial practice. Other courses cover topics such as language, economics, criminology, comparative historical jurisprudence, public policy, media relations, gaming law, and literature. The Judicial Studies program also includes courses covered by the NJC and the NCJFCJ, such as evidence, decision making, ethics, dispute resolution, case management, writing, substance abuse, family and domestic issues, and procedure. The courses developed by the university are taught by top scholars at the university and by others from around the country, especially Boalt Hall Law School at UC Berkeley.

Since the program began eighteen years ago, judges from forty-two states and several foreign countries have enrolled, and over one hundred judges have graduated with a master's degree in Judicial Studies. All these graduates completed a required thesis on a topic of significance to the operation of the judicial system, and two-thirds of the theses have been published in law reviews or other academic journals, leading to their citation in caselaw and scholarly treatises. (see the Web site for a list of theses and publications.) Judges report that the work they complete in the program has influenced policy and the development of law in a number of areas. One example is the proposed changes in the child custody law in Tennessee discussed in the thesis of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, judge Donald Ash (1997). The thesis resulted in pilot programs in six judicial districts where parent-education programs were developed, parenting plans were replaced by terms like joint custody, and a shift toward mediation of disputes was made; in January 2001, the proposal to utilize these steps became law.

As a result of the demand by Judicial Studies graduates wanting to continue their studies and contributions to improving their judiciary, the Board of Regents approved adding a doctoral component to the program in 2001. The students in the doctoral program must take additional course work and write a dissertation on an original research topic to earn the degree. The dissertation topics vary, but all deal with significant problems facing the judicial system in this and other nations. Fourteen students have been accepted into the PhD program, with the first graduates expected in 2005.

A serious question can be raised about why judges would want a specialized graduate degree. We have found the students' reasons are many and varied. Many want to rejuvenate themselves after some years on the bench, and the Judicial Studies program gives them new ideas and motivation to be better judges. Some students want to do research on important issues that have been raised by cases they have handled. Others may see the degree as an important step in achieving appointments to the appellate bench. Finally, a few want to obtain credentials allowing them to change careers, for example, to become a professor at a university or law school.