Resources, Budget, and Finance

Court Purposes and Vision

Curriculum Guideline One

Court leader understanding of the purposes of the courts, legitimate criteria for determining success in carrying out the court’s mission, and how to manage the court budget consistent with the court’s core purposes, is critical.  This means knowing how others outside the court perceive its purpose and functions and how these views may support or threaten judicial branch independence, funding, and performance.  The court’s long-term vision comprehends court purposes and priorities and environmental trends.  Vision is connected to long-term financial plans, multi-year budget planning, and allocation decisions that support that vision.  Continuous environmental sensing sustains organizational commitment to budgeting and resource management tied to the court’s vision.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the Purposes and Responsibilities of the Courts Curriculum Guidelines and the Trial Court Performance Standards, particularly the Independence and Accountability Standards, and their relevance to the budgetary process and the allocation and management of court resources;

• Knowledge of the inherent powers of the court, relevant case law, and the uses and limitations of the inherent powers doctrine for resource allocation, acquisition, and accountability;

• Ability to manage resource allocation and acquisition in ways that preserve judicial independence, essential judicial processes, and productive relationships with the other branches of government, when making cutbacks as well as during normal economic times;

• Ability to balance competing demands for public resources and to manage them in ways that ensure the court’s purpose, priorities, and ability to compete effectively with others for scarce resources;

• Ability to create and articulate a clear vision for the court and the budgetary implications of that vision;

• Ability to establish support for the court’s strategic plan and to implement an action plan that links the court’s vision and purposes to realistic short-term and long-term financial plans and projections;

• Skill in sensing environmental trends and public sentiment about the court, in understanding its implications for court funding, and in educating the public about court purposes, accomplishments, practices, and needs;

• Skill in seeking out and acquiring new sources of revenue for crucial court programs and priorities.

View the Summary of Resources, Budget and Finance Curriculum Guidelines or click on each of the other five Curriculum Guidelines to see the associated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Curriculum Guidelines

Court Purposes and Vision

Fundamentals

Leadership Teams and Interpersonal Effectiveness

Problem Diagnosis and Change

Technology

Budget Controls and Performance Monitoring

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