Gender and Justice Commission

1997 Annual Report

Authority
The Gender and Justice Commission was established by Washington State Supreme Court Order No. 25700-B-266, February 3, 1994. It was amended June 29, 1994, No. 25700-B-271 and renewed for another three years on July 10, 1997, No. 25700-B-333.

Principal Activities in 1997
The 15 member Gender and Justice Commission meets five times annually. During 1997, the Commission focused on the following projects:

YMCA Youth and Government Mock Trial Program
The Commission funded the drafting of a script for the 1998 YMCA Youth and Government Mock Trial Program. The script, which focuses on a domestic violence case, will be used throughout Washington State by high school students who participate in the Mock Trial Program

Domestic Violence Manual for Judges
The Commission completed revisions to the Domestic Violence Manual for Judges, which combined the previous civil and criminal manuals into one book. The manuals were distributed to more than 500 Washington State judges and commissioners. Copies were provided to domestic violence advocates through the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Domestic Violence Summit II
The Commission completed follow-up activities from the Domestic Violence Summit II on December 11, 1996, co-sponsored by the Office of the Governor and the Office of the Attorney General. The program included showcase presentations of successful domestic violence activities that could be replicated in other communities/agencies. After the Summit, the Commission received two requests for assistance in developing community based domestic violence summits.

Kitsap County Domestic Violence Summit
The Commission coordinated with District Court Judge James Riehl to sponsor the Kitsap County Regional Domestic Violence summit on October 18, 1997. The planning committee refined the model Domestic Violence Summit Program which was piloted in Benton/Franklin Counties in 1996. Almost 200 attended the Summit to learn how to develop a coordinated response to domestic violence. Follow-up activities include development of a 10-15 minute videotape on "How a Community Can Conduct a Domestic Violence Summit."

South King County Domestic Violence Summit
The Commission is coordinating with the Auburn Domestic Violence Task Force and the women's Programs at Green River Community College to conduct the South King County Domestic Violence Summit on March 24-25, 1998.

Domestic Violence Workshops for State Rural and Tribal Court Judges
The Commission received a $96,537 Federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grant to develop and implement a training program on domestic violence for rural and tribal court judges in Washington State. A planning committee was formed and is adapting the curriculum from the national model judicial education program Domestic Violence Cases in the Civil Courts. Two new chapters will be added to the Domestic Violence Manual for Judges. One will deal with rural court issues and the other with tribal court issues. Workshops are planned for Ferry/Stevens/Pend Oreille, Okanogan, Garfield/Columbia, Wahkiakum/Pacific, Clallam, and Yakima Counties in 1998.

Family Law Research
The Commission in coordination with the Domestic Relations Commission, issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting responses from researchers, sociologist, Ph.D. candidates, attorneys, firms, associations and other organizations or entities interested in conducing research to evaluate how various aspects of the family law system in Washington State are working and how they might be improved. The Commission is focusing on defining a research proposal to evaluate the Parenting Plan.

NAWJ District 13, Gender Bias Network
The Commission continues to staff the quarterly conference calls of the National Association of Women Judge (NAWJ), Northwest Region, Gender Bias/Gender Fairness organizations. Or four years, representatives of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington have shared status reports, program and other resource materials, and reports from their Gender and Justice task forces, commission, and committees.