1. T HE E SSENCE OF D UE P ROCESS IS THE O PPORTUNITY TO B E H EARD Supreme Court of Georgia Commission on Interpreters’ Model Administrative Protocol Jana J. Edmondson-Cooper, Esq. Member, Supreme Court of Georgia Commission on Interpreters & Shinji Morokuma, Esq. Staff Director, Supreme Court of Georgia Commission on Interpreters

2. W HAT IS THE C OMMISSION ON I NTERPRETERS ? Policy-making body appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia to oversee the development of a statewide plan for the use of interpreters in Georgia courts during the presentation of civil or criminal matters Mission provide interpreter licensing and regulatory and education services for Georgia courts so they can ensure the rights of non-English speaking persons Charged with regulating a statewide comprehensive court interpreter program, developing the criteria for the training and certification of interpreters, designating languages for which certification shall be required, and establishing standards of conduct for interpreters.

3. H IGHLIGHTS OF J UDICIAL L ANGUAGE A CCESS E FFORTS IN G EORGIA 2001- Supreme Court Rule on Use of Interpreters for Non-English Speaking and Hearing Impaired Persons (Rule) 2003 – Commission created by Supreme Court order 2005 – Ramos v. Terry, 279 Ga. 889, 622 S.E.2d 339 (2005) 2010 – Ling v. State, 288 Ga. 299, 702 S.E.2d 881 (2010) 2011 – Amendment to Rule

4. H IGHLIGHTS ( CON ’ T ) 2012 – Judicial Council/AOC Brochure: Working with Foreign Language Interpreters in the Courtroom 2015 Benchard: Working with Deaf or Hard of Hearing Persons and Sign Language Interpreters in the Courtroom 2016 State Court Benchbook – Ch.11 “Appointing Qualified Interpreters” Adopted by Superior Court, Magistrate Court & Municipal Court 2016 Benchcard: Working with Limited English Proficient Persons and Foreign Language Interpreters in the Courtroom Model Administrative Protocol ( in progress )

5. G EORGIA J UDICIARY Non-Unified 10 Judicial Districts 49 Judicial Circuits Classes of Court: Superior Court, State Court, Magistrate/ Civil Court, Municipal Court, Juvenile Court, Probate Court, Court of Appeals (now 15 judges, 5 Divisions), Supreme Court

7. C OMMISSION ’ S M ODEL A DMINISTRATIVE P ROTOCOL (MAP) Initiated by Commission Member, Jana J. Edmondson-Cooper. Ms. Edmondson-Cooper is working collaboratively with Mr. Morokuma, Staff Director for the Commission, to spearhead the initiative on the Commission’s behalf. Development of MAP supported by national technical assistance grant awarded to the Commission by National Center for State Courts and the State Justice Institute.

8. MAP ( CON ’ T ) First of its kind in Georgia Will promote the reliable and efficient provision of language services in state courts throughout Georgia, both for persons with limited English proficiency and for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Will be adaptable to local needs.

9. MAP (C ON ’ T ) Goal: Help Georgia trial courts identify the best ways in which they can address the language needs of our population, from an individual’s first contact with a court to his or her last. We understand trial courts in different parts of the state face different problems Help them identify their options for meeting their obligations to provide language services.

10. MAP D EVELOPMENT P ROCESS

11. F IRST STEPS Worked with consultant, provided by grant, to develop outline of content for MAP. Ms. Cristina Llop, Esq. (Certified Federal Interpreter) Consultant provided with written materials on language access in Georgia courts previously developed by the Commission, Georgia’s Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts, Ms. Edmondson-Cooper and other language access stakeholders. Consultant used provided written materials and feedback from Ms. Edmondson-Cooper and Mr. Morokuma as a guide to develop a preliminary outline. Outline eventually manifested into two documents which provided the structure for how the MAP is set up.

12. MAP S TRUCTURE “Template” “Companion” Referred to collectively as “the MAP”

13. MAP Companion

15. MAP Template

20. N EXT S TEPS Preliminary drafts of Template and Companion approved by Commission in December 2015. Preliminary Drafts were then ready for sharing with language access stakeholders for feedback. Stakeholders categorized into five ( 5) groups / phases. Currently preparing to disseminate drafts to Group 3 which includes: professional foreign language and sign language interpreters as well as interpreter professional associations, including but not limited to, NAJIT and RID.

21. N EXT S TEPS ( CON ’ T ) Complete stakeholder feedback portion of development process Submit proposed final draft of MAP to Commission for approval Once approved, MAP will be rolled out to selected Georgia courts on a pilot basis. Tentative Date– September 2016 Once the pilot period ends, the Commission will reevaluate the MAP and made any necessary changes. Roll out MAP statewide and make available to all Georgia Courts and nationally (potential model for other non- unified court systems). Date - TBD

22. R ESOURCES Commission Website - http://coi.georgiacourts.gov/ http://coi.georgiacourts.gov/ 2016 Georgia State Court Benchbook http://statecourt.georgiacourts. gov/content/2016-georgia-state- court-benchbook http://statecourt.georgiacourts. gov/content/2016-georgia-state- court-benchbook

23. C ONTACT I NFORMATION Jana J. Edmondson-Cooper, Esq. Member, Supreme Court of Georgia Commission on Interpreters Bilingual Staff Attorney, Georgia Legal Services Program (404) 563-7715, Ext. 1632 jedmondson-cooper@glsp.org Shinji Morokuma, Esq. Staff Director, Supreme Court of Georgia Commission on Interpreters (404) 463-3788 Shinji.Morokuma@georgiacourts.gov