North Carolina Launches Major Civil Courts Review

There are estimates that about 80 percent of civil court needs go unmet in North Carolina while too many people go to jail. These are among the issues targeted in a sweeping review of the NC courts system being launched this week by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin, who has been on the job about one year and says this will be a “generational” overhaul of the courts.

The News & Observer in Charlotte reported that “… the result could be the first major reform of the state courts in the digital era with an emphasis not only on technology but a wide spectrum of issues. Among the ideas being considered is how to divert some of the non-violent criminals from their current path through the judicial system and removing barriers that keep the civil courts mired in protracted process.

David F. Levi, the Duke University law school dean, will lead a group that looks at civil justice and “concerns that nearly 80 percent of legal needs go unmet,” said the newspaper.

Read the story here: NC Chief Justice launches review of state courts