Kleps Award Recipients

Every two years the Judicial Council of California gives the Ralph N. Kleps Award for Improvement in the Administration of the Courts to innovative programs that can be replicated in other courts. The awarded programs are categorized below by how they address the Judicial Council goals, which are outlined in the Judicial Council's strategic plan, Justice in Focus (PDF, 8 MB).

Use the pull-down menus below to view brief descriptions of the Kleps Awards given in the last award cycle, or view a complete list of all programs.

Access & Public Service

California courts are experiencing a flood of litigants representing themselves. Most often these parties are poor, and many are not fluent in English, much less in legalese. Committed to making sure that all population groups have access to justice, courts have developed ways to help self-represented Californians know their rights and legal options, fill out the appropriate papers correctly, get help in a language they understand, and navigate the legal process.

The following programs address access, fairness and diversity, and quality of justice and service to the public.

Technology & Modernization

Courts are finding innovative solutions—some of them technological—to the challenges of managing self-represented litigants, complex and high-profile cases, cases demanding sensitivity to vulnerable segments of the community, and a chronically voluminous workload.

The following programs address modernization of management and administration and branchwide infrastructure for service excellence.

Branch Independence & Education

Internal education is vital for the health of the judicial branch, the quality of its service to the public, and the protection of its independence as a branch of government. When the California courts became employers in their own right, they acquired both the power to tailor education for their judges and staffs and the financial burden of providing such education. They have found ways to meet their educational needs innovatively and economically.

The following programs address independence and accountability and education for branchwide professional excellence.

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