5 www.loubar.org March 2025 Changes and New Initiatives at Jefferson District Court Chief Judge Jessica Moore Greetings friends and colleagues. As I begin my second term as Chief of the Jefferson District Court, I am excited to share several updates taking place in the Hall of Justice. We are thrilled to welcome Susan Ely as the new District Court Administrator. She brings years of experience in litigation and leadership in various roles throughout the judicial complex. District Court continues to review and revise our processes, scheduling and case manage- ment across all court divisions as the Admin- istrative Office of the Courts develops our next generation e-filing (File and Serve) and a new case management system (Enterprise Justice). As my 15 colleagues joke about how much I “love a meeting,” there truly are great changes in the works to prepare us for these new systems. Court initiatives in 2025 include: • The Eviction Diversion program continues as District Court received renewed grant funding through EDI (Eviction Diversion Initiative) for two additional years. This grant funds two eviction diversion specialists to assist the courts and parties with access to PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE resources and connections with com- munity partners. • The Unlawful Camping Docket – Dis- trict Court has initiated the Unlawful Camping docket for parties cited under KRS 511.110 in partnership with LMPD, the County Attorney, Department of Public Advocacy, Louisville Metro Of- fice of Homeless Services, Coalition for the Homeless and the Office of the Circuit Court Clerk. This docket is held the last Wednesday of every month with a goal of providing access to services and resources at the court appearance. As partners in this initiative, we hope to identify specific barriers and challenges that bring litigants before the court un- der this law and work collaboratively to help those who are homeless and/or houseless in our community. • Bench Warrant Amnesty Dockets will be held again this year on Friday, March 7th at 1 p.m.; Saturday, March 8th at 9 a.m.; and Monday, March 10th at 1 p.m. Information regarding all court schedules can be found at JeffersonDistrictCourt.com. As I close, I keep reflecting on the remarks made at the recent Louis D. Brandeis medal dinner by Justice Sonya Sotomayor. What an outstanding event for our community! When asked how she handles disagreements at the highest level of our courts, and often being in the minority opinion, she eloquently spoke of the importance of being in the room where it happened… Even if I lose or dis- agree, I was in the room where it happened… That matters and my voice matters. This is so true and I think we often forget it. In the hectic haze of a packed schedule and feeling like there is never enough time in the day, remember how important your voice is in the room. Be in the room where it happened. Judge Jessica Moore serves as Chief District Court Judge while currently presiding over a criminal court docket. She resides in Louisville with her husband, Attorney Evan Spalding, and their two children. She looks for- ward to competing in the LBA’s Pickleball Palooza again this year! n Women Lawyers Association Join the Women Lawyers Association on Thursday, March 13, from noon to 1 pm at the Jefferson County Law Library, 514 W. Liberty St., 2nd floor. This month, Professor JoAnne Sweeny, will be pre- senting “From Hatpins to Pepper Spray: The History of Street Harassment.” Lunch catered by Locals Louisville. Register on our website: https://wlajeffco.com/event/ march-luncheon-25/. n Association of Legal Administrators The monthly chapter meeting of the Kentucky Association of Legal Admin- istrators will be held in person and via Zoom on Thursday, March 13, beginning at noon at the office of Frost Brown Todd in Louisville (400 W. Market St., Ste. 3200) and Lexington (250 W. Main St., Ste. 2800). Please RSVP by regis- tering online at www.ky-ala.org. Any questions, please contact Deana Lively, dlively@dbllaw.com. n MEETING MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY RECRUITMENT NOTICE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT TRIAL ATTORNEYS AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS The Criminal Justice Act Trial Attorney Panel Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act of 1964, as amended (18 U.S.C. § 3006A) (the “CJA”), the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky has adopted a plan for providing representation to individuals who are financially unable to retain counsel in certain circumstances. The plan provides for the establishment of panels of private attorneys who are eligible and willing to be appointed to provide representation under the CJA. Attorneys seeking admission to one of the Court’s CJA Panels must be members in good standing of the Kentucky Bar Association for at least four (4) years and admitted to practice before this Court for at least two (2) years preceding the application. Applicants must additionally maintain an office in the division of the CJA Panel for which they seek membership. Specific qualifications are con- tained in Section VII(C) of the Court’s CJA Plan located on the Court’s website, https://www.kywd.uscourts.gov/cja. Application Process Attorneys interested in being appointed to a CJA Panel should submit an application, which can be found on the Court’s website at https://www.kywd.uscourts.gov/cja, via email to CJA_Application@kywd.uscourts.gov anytime from March 1 to March 31, 2025. Approval of attorneys for membership on a CJA Panel and the CJA Mentorship Program will be made by the Court after review of all eligible applications, consid- eration of relevant case data and consultation with the CJA Panel Committee. For more information, please visit www.kywd.uscourts.gov/cja. n
