Answering the Call for Transparency

Yesterday, the Senate voted 39-0 passing legislation to reorganize the Commonwealth’s judicial system.

The bill installs necessary efficiencies in the Trial Court and establishes a thoughtful and transparent hiring process in the courts and the Probation Department. After recent troubling reports and investigations into the entire system, I’m delighted to see the Senate has put through rigorous procedures for court management reform in Massachusetts.

We looked at this bill with one goal in mind – to establish an open and transparent process that will restore the Probation Department’s image and offer a level of accountability that we haven’t seen in this agency for quite some time.

Legislators conducted extensive research to ensure that we would offer the best possible plan for court reform. We worked to identify even the smallest intricacies of the court system that needed to be considered in any type of reform and looked at all achievable paths for success. In addition to our own research, we consulted relevant experts with top experience in the fields of law, probation and court management.

I firmly believe we have a strong court system currently supporting our Commonwealth. But, in order to move forward, it’s vital that we restore confidence in the system by establishing clear and open rules.

Under the Senate bill, the Trial Court is required to hire a professional civilian administrator to manage finances, contracts and hiring with a focus on eliminating wasteful administrative functions within all departments and implementing a transparent, merit-based hiring model. The Senate bill also keeps the Probation Department under the command of the Judiciary.

To bring transparency to the hiring process, all applicants must take a new objective entrance exam to ensure we are only bringing in top, qualified candidates. Those who pass at a certain cut-off score are then subjected to an intense background check and interview before being considered by the court administrator. Only at this point will letters of recommendation be made available to the hiring authority. Additionally, all letters of recommendation will be made public record for successful candidates, and all candidates must also disclose the names of immediate family members who are state employees.

With these new standards in place, we can ensure the integrity of the process and avoid the abuse and mistakes of the past. Now, we must reconcile the Senate bill with the House of Representatives version and get a final plan to the governor’s desk as quickly as possible.

For full details on this reform, please visit www.theresemurray.com/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-court-reform-legislation-39-0-vote