News Item
Minnesota State Court Administrator Wins Prestigious McQueen Award
Posted: Thursday, August 8, 2024
To a standing ovation yesterday at the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators, Minnesota’s State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba received the prestigious Mary McQueen Award for exemplary service to justice.
The Mary McQueen Award is given jointly by the Conference of Chief Justices, the Conference of State Court Administrators, the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers, and the National Association for Court Management. It recognizes someone who has made extraordinary contributions to improving the administration of justice at the local, state, or national level for a sustained period of time.
“Jeff Shorba is nationally recognized for his work in Minnesota and his service to the Conference of State Court Administrators. He is a trusted leader with an impressive record of accomplishments,” said Greg Sattizahn, president of the Conference of State Court Administrators. “This award, for which he was nominated by his peers, recognizes his contributions to improving all our state courts.”
The award came as a surprise to both Shorba and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, both of whom were in attendance at the conference but had no idea the organizations had tapped Shorba for the honor.
“This award is so well deserved,” Chief Justice Hudson said. “Jeff Shorba has made extraordinary contributions to Minnesota’s judiciary—and, by extension, to other states that have implemented the leading-edge ideas he has helped to bring to fruition here.”
During Shorba’s time as State Court Administrator, the Minnesota Judicial Branch:
- Successfully completed the eCourtMN Initiative, transitioning from paper-based court files to an electronic case record in order to increase efficiency, enhance justice system information-sharing, and expand public access to court records and information.
- Expanded virtual and online self-help services to make Minnesota’s courts more accessible and launched the Legal Paraprofessional Pilot Project to help close the state’s civil justice gap.
- Became nationally recognized for its work to protect elderly and vulnerable adults from financial abuse through the Conservator Account Auditing Program and Conservator Account Review Program.
- Nearly doubled the number of drug courts, DWI courts, and other treatment court programs in operation across the state.
- Navigated the COVID-19 pandemic by transitioning the vast majority of court hearings to online courtrooms. Based on the success of this transition, in 2022, Minnesota became one of the first states in the nation to commit to the long-term use of remote hearings through the launch of its oneCourtMN Hearings Initiative. In 2024, the Minnesota Judicial Council adopted a new, permanent hearing framework for how district courts will use both in-person and remote hearings going forward. This historic new framework will take effect in February 2025.
Jeff Shorba joined the Minnesota Judicial Branch in 2002 as the Deputy State Court Administrator and has served as the State Court Administrator since 2012.
PHOTO CAPTION: Conference of State Court Administrators President Greg Sattizahn, Minnesota State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba, and Conference of Chief Justices President Anna Blackburne-Rigsby after honoring Shorba with the Mary McQueen Award. Photo courtesy: Tom Lebsack