Public attitudes about justice system explored in survey, conference.

"When a person sues a corporation, the courts generally favor the corporation over the person." Sixty-six percent of respondents to a recent national survey on public attitudes about state courts agreed with this statement. Eighty-one percent said that political considerations influence judges' decisions.

The survey was conducted by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and funded by The Hearst Corp. Based on interviews with 1,200 randomly selected adults and samples of an additional 300 African Americans and 300 Hispanic Americans, the questions surveyed opinions on institutions such as courts, police, schools, and state and local government.

"There is still a disconnect between the courts and the people they are sworn to serve," concluded Frank Bennack Jr., president of The Hearst Corp.

Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed said court cases aren't resolved in a timely manner. However, 75 percent said they had a "great deal" or "some" confidence in their local courts, and 77 percent felt that way about the U.S. Supreme Court. About 79 percent said they believed judges are honest and fair, while 61 percent said judges do not give adequate time and attention to each case.

Among other findings:

* 32 percent agreed that "it is affordable to bring a case to court."

* 56 percent of all respondents (but 72 percent of African Americans) said that most juries are not representative of the community.

* 85 percent agreed that courts protect defendants' constitutional rights.

"The survey shows that the public has a vast number of contradictory attitudes about the civil justice system with an underlying confidence in the courts that neither the media nor the political system enjoys," said ATLA Legal Affairs Senior Director Robert Peck. "Our task as guardians of the system must be to build on the positive ones, address the legitimate concerns being voiced, and educate the public about the errors likely to be exploited by those who seek to dismantle the system of justice that is rightly treated as the closest to ideal throughout the world."

The survey was released on May 14 at a national Conference on Building Public Trust and Confidence in the Justice System held in Washington, D.C. The ABA, Conference of Chief Justices, Conference of State Court Administrators, and League of Women Voters sponsored the meeting in cooperation with the NCSC.

The conference focused on determining the role of national organizations in helping states implement strategies to encourage public trust and confidence in the justice system. Teams composed of at least five people--including the chief justice, state court administrator, and state bar president--from 46 states and 2 U.S. territories met with 10 federal judges and representatives from national bench and bar associations and several public, business, and civic organizations.

To develop a basis for discussion at the conference, larger teams in each state first identified the issues affecting public trust and confidence in their states and strategies to address the issues.

For example, in New York, a 31-member Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System looked into bias and prejudice, access to justice, judicial administration, legal and judicial ethics, and media portrayal and public understanding. It conducted citizen hearings and scoured related publications and research to develop a list of public trust issues and coping strategies.

In the area of media portrayal and public understanding, for instance, the committee recommended expanding the amount of time school systems beginning at grade school level teach about the judicial system; developing public service announcements about the role of courts and the judiciary; and developing a videotape for the media, schools, and public libraries that covers the procedural safeguards under the Constitution, sentencing, and the appeals process.

When all state input was correlated at the conference, the top four issues state delegations agreed affect public trust are access to justice, timeliness in the disposition of cases, public education, and actual or perceived bias in the justice system. Conference participants voted electronically to develop consensus and prioritize suggestions for a national action plan to help states implement strategies. A postconference working group will finalize the plan.

For more information about the survey How the Public Views the State Courts or details of the conference, visit the NCSC Web site at http://www.ncsc.dni.us. The New York committee's report is available at http://ucs.ljx.com.