There has been a significant improvement in communications and transparency in regard to operations at the court system. In this article, Administrative Director, Stacey Marz, and her communications team, Rebecca Koford, Jeannie Sato, and Mara Rabinowitz, talk to us about some of the steps they have taken to inform the public how the courts work.

1)           How did you get involved in this line of work?

I started my career as an environmental lawyer. I then had a role with Alaska Legal Services, specifically with domestic violence and family law cases. My journey at the Alaska Court System started sixteen years ago as the Director of Self-Help and Language Access Services for the Court. My duties include informing the public how to navigate processes within the court system and access to justice. I was promoted to Administrative Director in November of 2019.

2)           What were some of your short- and long-term goals when you stepped into the position of Administrative Director?

I have always done public interest related work. I look at access to justice and every decision through the lens of “how do we best serve every audience?” How can the public easily navigate the system without having to go to law school?

One of my main goals was to improve the communications both to the public and internally.  I really wanted the public and court system employees to understand our mission and why the work we do is important. Most people think that our mission is carried out by mainly Judges. However, there is a whole infrastructure supporting judges such as Clerks, Judicial Assistants, customer services, records, criminal, and civil division, amongst others. We would not be able to fulfill our mission of providing access to justice without the whole court system.

I had a lot of goals that I wanted to achieve, but some of those are paused due to the pandemic. However, we were able to achieve some goals. For example, the court system offered remote services prior to the pandemic. Due to the nature of Alaska’s geography, many Alaskans had the option to call-in and participate remotely even before courtrooms were closed due to COVID-19. The pandemic forced us to expand video and zoom capabilities.  Another achievement that we had to complete in a timely manner was to allow civil filing fees and bail to be paid online, therefore, increasing accessibility.

3)           You mentioned wanting to improve the public’s view of the court system, in what ways have you been able to do this in your short time in this role?

Improving the public’s view of the court system will continue to be one of my main goals for as long as I hold this position. The Judicial branch is critical in any democracy. I want to do anything I can to instill confidence in the public that when they walk into the courthouse, they feel respected and have confidence in the process.

Some of the steps I have taken internally have been on the staffing end, such as offering online courses to employees about the mission of the court, the distinction between legal information and legal advice, customer service, and the importance of confidentiality. The more we can educate our staff to understand the important role they serve in the system, the more the public feels they receive fair and impartial treatment and that everyone gets served in the justice system because all of the pieces work together.

Jeannie Sato, current Director of Access to Justice Services, tells us, “Social Media tells us things. We cannot help the public on matters of their interest if we do not know their concerns. For example, friends and members of the public thought that because jury trials were delayed, Judges did not have work to do. Jury trials are a small percentage of the work Judges do and they have been very busy throughout the pandemic. Knowing this was a concern in the public; we took steps to inform the public of the work being done in the court system.”

4)           From the victim’s perspective, it has been a common theme that they are not getting enough communication. We understand that it is very possible that there is work being done behind the scenes that is not being communicated. What has been helpful to reach a broader audience and keep them informed of the court system’s work and ensuring the public that their voices have been heard?

As for victims, I hope that they are working closely with the District Attorney’s office. The court system has no control over how cases are being worked as that is within the control of the Prosecutor and Defense Attorney and victims should reach out to the Prosecutor about the status of the case.  The Court has been distributing updates as to what is going on regarding jury trials, a subject of interest for both the victims who need closure, and the defendant, while their lives are in limbo. I meet regularly with the Chief Justice and presiding Judges, the statewide pandemic planning committee, and the jury committee to talk about changes as a result of the pandemic. We have a particular focus on jury trials and how to safely manage them with the number of people required to be present and social distancing concerns. On Friday, January 29th, we will be meeting to decide whether or not jury trials will be moving forward based on COVID-19 counts and other considerations.

Mara Rabinowitz, Communications team member, says “Accessibility to hearings has not been reduced. In some ways, there has been more accessibility. Last Friday, there was a live stream of a proceeding being viewed by an audience of 60, a number far greater than a courtroom’s capacity, especially with social distancing.”

Stacey Marz encourages the public to stay up-to-date by following the Alaska Court System’s Facebook Page as well as checking their website, both constantly updated with the most current FAQ’s and operations updates. Stacey also wants to acknowledge the great job her Communications team has done to keep the public informed when the Court is trying to keep up with all the local and state mandates and adapt to changes in a timely manner.