by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Chief Justice F. Philip Carbullido delivered the State of Judiciary Address. In his opening remarks he reflected on the changes the Judiciary has undergone from the time of his investiture 13 years ago.

He reflected on the various State of Judiciary Address and how remarkable they were in documentation of the evolution of the court. For example in 1998 the state of judiciary was described as a broken branch. In 2002 to being in recovery and most recently the State of Judiciary was described as advancing, sound innovative as challenged but yet responsive. And then he reflected on his speech last year in which he said the state of judiciary as organized dependable and efficient. He said all of the words used to describe the judiciary over the years are steeped with meaning and reflect the long and rough road the judiciary has traveled. From the days of being a broken branch to the judiciary they are today an equal partner in our tripartite government.

The chief justice also gave a progress report on the judiciary's strategic plan which he talked about in his address last year.

There were four goals to the plan:

First: making the courts accessible user-friendly and convenient. The chief justice said in this regard the Judiciary has expanded the use of the Northern Court Satellite in Dededo by moving jury orientation sessions there, as well as various alternative sentencing and probation classes. This addresses both the shortage of parking and the limitations of our facilities in Hagåtña.

Second Goal: ensuring that cases are managed and resolved in a timely, effective and efficient manner. The chief justice said work continues on this and that the committee assigned to this is working on revising the judicial time standards and methods of reporting, as well as the method of assigning cases to judges.

Another goal for improvement ensuring the Judiciary's workforce is motivated, satisfied, and competent: the changes are being led by Supreme Court Justice Katherine Maraman and her team which is working to revise performance evaluations and assess the effectiveness of the merit bonus program. The committee is also revamping and modernizing court training programs to improve career development court wide.

And the final goal in the strategic plan: the Judiciary will have strong collaborative relations with stakeholders and partners. The chief justice said that In addition to using Twitter as a method of disseminating information, the committee assigned to this task has selected crime victims' rights and services as an area of focus for the court and its stakeholders to discuss in a forum to be held later this year.

Carbullido said that despite the challenges the state of judiciary remains committed and prepared: "committed to ensuring justice for all people and prepared for the uncertainties in our daily lives". One area the chief justice touched on was youth crimes and the alarming number that of juveniles entering the court system. The chief justice said "clearly for the sake of these youth and our community we must find ways to give these children the support and attention they need to steer them away from a life of crime and drugs... "

In the spirit of Law Day: the chief justice ended his address with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in life, he said "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." Carbullido said his hope for the Judicial Branch and for the island is infinite."