Court Administrators and the Judiciary — Partners in the Delivery of Justice

This article examines several topics relating to the administration and governance of courts in democratic societies.  It includes a summary of the development of court administration as a profession, highlighting Australia and the United States.  The summary includes a discussion of how judges and court administrators must work together and coordinate their efforts in key areas of court administration and management.  The article also reviews separation of powers issues, highlighting the problems that emerge in systems in which oversight and administration of the courts is vested in the executive branch or power of government, most commonly in a justice ministry.  It reviews the practical advantages of having courts governed and managed through institutional mechanisms within the judicial power rather than the executive power.