LCMR 6. Standing and Special Committees and Teams

(a) Standing Committees. Committees primarily addressing court policies and procedures in order to most effectively interface with the legal community and the public. There shall be the following standing committees of judges, commissioners and staff:

(1) Courts and Community: This committee promotes public understanding of the justice system through public presentations, teaching, and community events; strives to eliminate barriers to justice that may result from differences in culture, economic status, language, and physical or mental disabilities; and ensures that the court’s commitment to a diverse workforce is reflected in its policies. The committee will be co-chaired and meet monthly.

(2) Ex Parte/Probate: This committee oversees and makes recommendations concerning the ex parte calendars and related matters. The Ex Parte committee will be chaired by the Chief Civil Judge and meet quarterly, or as convened by the Chief Civil Judge.

(3) Family Law: This committee oversees and makes recommendations concerning the handling of family law matters. The Family Law committee will be chaired by the Chief Unified Family Court Judge and meet monthly.

(4) Interpreter: This committee oversees and makes recommendations concerning interpreter needs within the court.  The Interpreter Committee will meet quarterly or as convened by the Chair.

(5) Local Rules: This committee reviews existing rules and suggests new rules as appropriate based on changes in the law or court procedures. The Local Rules Committee will meet as convened by the Chair.

(6) Sealed Adoption Files: This committee oversees and makes recommendations concerning the court’s handling of sealed adoption files and adoption matters. The Sealed Adoption Files Committee will meet quarterly or as convened by the Chair.

(7) Technology: This committee recommends strategic direction for court technology; plans for use of technology in the court including computer and video; and makes recommendations concerning hardware, software, and applications. The Technology Committee will meet monthly or as convened by the Chair. Membership includes all Directors or their designees.

(8) Dependency: This committee oversees and makes recommendations concerning dependency matters. The Dependency Committee will meet monthly or as convened by the Chair, the Dependency Lead Judge.

(9) Volunteer: This committee recommends policies and procedures to make the best use of and honor court volunteers. The Volunteer Committee will meet quarterly or as convened by the Chair.

(10) Caseflow and Scheduling: This committee develops procedures and processes in support of efficient and effective caseflow and scheduling, and approves all new case schedules for case types. The committee, chaired by the Presiding Judge or designee, consists of Chief Judges and Directors and will meet at least quarterly.

(11) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): This committee is tasked with designing the court's DEI Work Plan, creating an implementation structure for the DEI Work Plan, evaluating the court's compliance with DEI principles, and referring policy initiatives to other committees and to the court as a whole as appropriate.  The committee will be co-chaired and meet monthly.

(12) Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA): This committee oversees policies, procedures, and protocols of the ITA Court and makes recommendations concerning the handling of ITA matters. The committee will make recommendations for strategic direction, including long range projects related to mental health issues under RCW 71.05 such as court space planning, rotations, relationships with hospitals, and alternatives to secure confinement. It is co-chaired by the judge currently serving at Harborview Hospital and by a judge who formerly served as the ITA judge. The ITA Committee will meet monthly or as convened by the Chairs.

(13) Jury: This committee oversees and makes recommendations as to policies concerning jurors. The Jury Committee will meet quarterly or as convened by the Chair.

(b) Administrative Committees. Committees primarily addressing internal operations of the court, including developing procedures and proposing policies.

(1) Budget: This committee drafts and recommends to the Court a budget for adoption by the judges. The committee will meet as convened by the Chair.

(2) Personnel: This committee develops personnel policies for adoption by the court and completes commissioner evaluations. The committee is co-chaired and will meet monthly or as convened by the Co-Chairs.

(3) Caseflow staffing and recommendations: This committee meets every two years for six months, from June to the January of the biennial budget cycle, as necessary, to be chaired by the Presiding or Assistant Presiding Judge, with department represented by the Chiefs, Leads and Directors and Managers to make recommendations to the Presiding Judge and others to (1) determine staffing for judicial officers and staff; (2) make recommendations for the case flow of a department’s business; and (3) present recommendations for the budget committee as a department may think necessary. The Committee shall produce a written report for the Presiding Judge and the Court.

(4) Education/Training: This committee oversees the training and orientation of new judges and commissioners and the training of all judicial officers for the calendar year for civil, criminal and any other area as necessary. The committee shall monitor judges who are in the first six years of their judicial career to ensure that each judge has an appropriate training for each new rotation, if a department does not already provide such a program. The Education/Training committee will be chaired by the Assistant Presiding Judge or that judge’s designee.

(c) Strategic Planning/Performance Measures: Committee primarily develops the Court’s strategic direction and associated performance metrics. This committee will meet at least once annually. This committee’s recommendations to the Executive Committee result in Strategic Action Initiatives. Teams will then be formed, for a limited duration, reflecting the Strategic Action Initiatives.

(d) Special Committees. The Presiding Judge may appoint such special committees as he/she may deem advisable and for a term to be set by the Presiding Judge. Special committees have a duty to study and make recommendations to the Presiding Judge in connection with any subject matters assigned to them.

(e) Departmental, Maleng Regional Justice Center, Special Calendar Committees. The Civil/Criminal, and Juvenile Departments, and the Maleng Regional Justice Center shall each have a committee that shall include all of the judges assigned to that department or facility.

(f) Any judge, commissioner, or authorized staff may attend any standing or departmental/special calendar committee.

(g) Appointment of Committee Chairs and Members. The Presiding Judge in December of each year shall solicit from each judge and commissioner committee preferences and thereafter appoint the chair and judicial members of each committee, effective January 1. The Chief Administrative Officer shall designate staff members to serve on these committees. All members are expected to participate fully and may vote as members of standing committees and the Strategic Planning/Performance Measures Committee.

(h) Duties. Standing, administrative, and departmental/special calendar committees shall have the responsibilities outlined above and shall carry out specific assignments from the Presiding Judge or the Executive Committee. By March 1, each committee lead staff and chair shall transmit to the Executive Committee the goals that the committee has identified for that year. At the end of each year each committee chair and lead staff shall transmit to the Executive Committee a report, for consideration at a January Executive Committee meeting, concerning the work of the committee during the year, and shall make recommendations concerning additional matters the committee should address in the future. Committees shall keep minutes of meetings, and the chair shall include an agenda with the written notice of meetings.

(i) Training on Record Keeping. Each year, the court, by February 15, shall conduct a training concerning the taking of minutes, the articulation of goals and preparation of year end reports, and other record-keeping duties of committees which shall be attended by the lead staff of all committees.

[Adopted effective September 1, 2016; Amended December 13, 2016; January 28, 2020; March 23, 2021; June 24, 2021; August 24, 2021.]