Public Notice Detail

ST. PAUL, Minn. (April 12, 1999) – Today Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen A. Blatz released the 1998 State Courts Annual Report.  The yearly report contains a recent statistical overview of Minnesota’s court system, outlines challenges facing the judiciary and highlights recent innovations that are designed to prepare our courts for the future.

“1998 was marked by important new initiatives and thoughtful planning for the challenges that lie ahead,” said Chief Justice Blatz.  “If the Minnesota judicial system is to maintain the same pace of progress as the past decade, we must address some tough resource issues,” she added.  Among them:

• Overall caseloads have increased 41% in the last decade.
• Major criminal cases have increased 74% and juvenile caseloads have doubled in the last decade.
• Civil filings are on the rise, particularly in personal injury and contract cases.
• Immigrants have become one of the fastest growing segments of Minnesota’s population.  Last year, in Hennepin County alone, there were 5,000 proceedings that required an interpreter.
• Time judges spend on each individual case has decreased, as caseloads and time demands have increased.

“The ability to adequately manage caseload growth with existing resources has been exhausted,”  Blatz said.  “Our legislative request for additional judgeships is essential to maintain an effective judiciary for Minnesotans.”

Recent innovations cited in the report include:

Inter-Branch Forum - Judges from the District, Appeals and Supreme Court levels met with key legislators to build relationships, share common concerns and discuss important issues like juvenile justice, law revisions and sentencing.

CHIPS Hearings opened – June 1998, a 12-county pilot project was launched to open some juvenile protection hearings to the public.  It is intended to give the entire community a window on the welfare of children.

One Judge/One Family Program – Expanded to three judicial districts.  This program assigns a single judge to all issues involving a family, resulting in greater consistency and knowledge of the individuals and circumstances.

Continued Community Outreach – Working to attain the goal of making the state’s judicial system more accessible and understandable to citizens, Supreme Court oral arguments were conducted in Austin and Duluth, Minnesota, each drawing more than 1,000 high school students.  Also, the Court of Appeals began hearing oral arguments on a regular basis via interactive teleconferencing technology (ITV).  Trial courts have spearheaded civic focus groups throughout the First District to discuss ways of improving the public’s trust and confidence in the judiciary.

Drug and Teen Courts – After two years of operation, Hennepin County’s Drug court has proven successful, handling 25% of the county’s felony load and getting defendants into treatment within 18 hours of arrest.  Newly created “teen courts,” where teens are adjudicated by their peers, are operating in Blue Earth, Brown, Martin and Itasca Counties.

Technology – Efforts continued to unify and update state court computer systems.  In 1998, the court system and law enforcement agencies teamed up to make Order for Protection information accessible via computer, linking police squad cars with vital databases.

A full copy of the 1998 State Courts Report is available by calling the Court Information Office at (651) 296-6043.  Beginning April 19, the full report will also be available on the state court web site, at www.courts.state.mn.us.