Vision Statement: To empower and connect our community by fostering a transparent, informed, and engaged judiciary so that Nevadans understand and trust the Supreme Court’s role in delivering fair and efficient justice through innovative outreach and educational initiatives.
The creation of this plan is a key objective of the 2022-2025 Strategic Action Plan to “Implement a sustainable outreach plan to engage and educate the public regarding the purposes and responsibilities of the court.”
The Outreach and Engagement Plan is a comprehensive guide that demonstrates the Administrative Office of the Court’s (AOC) commitment to positioning Nevada’s judiciary as a transparent, approachable, and trustworthy branch of government.
To strengthen public trust, the AOC must engage with communities and highlight the courts' roles in justice, accountability, and local problem-solving. This plan includes specific strategies aimed at making court information more accessible and understandable. By increasing opportunities for education and engagement, the AOC hopes to connect with schools, community groups, and the broader public in meaningful ways.
The AOC is committed to engaging in open dialogues, listening to feedback, and providing resources to the communities of Nevada. Through the efforts outlined in this plan, the AOC seeks to strengthen the bridge between the judicial branch and the public, ensuring that actions and innovations are both transparent and responsive to the needs of the residents of Nevada. View the Outreach and Engagement Plan as a PDF.
Objectives and Their Purpose
Attainable information facilities access to justice and helps citizens stay informed about their rights and resources.
Knowledge gaps about how the judicial system works can lead to misconceptions and mistrust. Education can help bridge these gaps and lead to an accurate understanding of the judiciary, preserving public trust, confidence, and understanding.
Strong community relations shows that the courts are approachable and responsive. They also enhance the courts’ credibility and reputation.
Educated court professionals are the foundation of a thriving judiciary. With ongoing training opportunities, court professionals can stay on top of best practices and confidently promote civics education.
Audiences
Understanding the AOC’s audiences is crucial for successfully implementing the strategies and tactics outlined in this plan. The information below defines each audience and highlights the key focus areas for engaging with them.
- General Public (citizens of Nevada): Understand court procedures, access resources easily, stay informed about court updates and announcements, understand the judicial branch.
- Media (journalists, news outlets, and bloggers reporting on court activities): Transparency of the court, timely updates, access to accurate information.
- Legal Professionals (lawyers, attorneys, and legal experts): Engage in professional development, stay informed about court updates and announcements.
- Legal Field Organizations and Associations (organizations and associations in Nevada related to the legal field): Stay informed about resources, legal updates, and educational opportunities.
- Court Staff (individuals employed by a court in the state of Nevada): Stay updated on legal changes, share best practices, understand available resources.
- Senior Citizens (elderly residents of Nevada): Ensure accessible information, assistance navigating the court system.
- Internal Staff (appellate court employees including administrative staff and clerks): Understand court procedures and available resources, stay informed about new initiatives, professional development.
- Judicial Officers (judges and justices of the courts): Stay informed on legal precedents, procedural changes, and professional development opportunities.
- Service Providers (court interpreters, CASA volunteers, etc.): Understand the direct impact of court interpreters and volunteer opportunities within the judiciary.
- Limited English Proficiency Population (residents of Nevada who have limited proficiency in English): Have access to translated documents and court information, court interpreters, and multilingual resources.
- Prospective Employees (individuals considering employment at the Supreme Court of Nevada): Understand career opportunities, requirements, and learn about the court’s mission and values.
Communication Channels
The following channels are essential for distributing information, fostering dialogue, and building trust between the courts and the public.
Supreme Court of Nevada Website (general public): Official announcements and updates on rulings and events, legal resources.
Social Media (general public, legal community, media): Provide information about resources, cases, rulings, court procedures, and civic education.
I’ll Allow It, Nevada Podcast (judicial officers, legal community, general public): Provide education about Nevada’s judicial system and provide CLE credits.
Public Event Participation (general public, potential employees): Share resources and information, directly interacting with Nevada residents.
Livestream (general public, legal community, media): Broadcast court proceedings.
Self-Help Center Webpage (general public, legal community): Inform the public about the availability of legal information and resources.
Internal Flyers (appellate court staff): Distribute information containing educational content, cheat sheets, and updates.
External Flyers (trial court staff, legal community, media): Distribute information containing educational content, updates, and events
Guide Sheets: (judicial officers): Provide quick reference information
Press Releases (journalists, reporters): Inform the media about new resources, events, rulings, and general information
Media Advisories (journalists, reporters): Inform the media about new resources, events, rulings, and general information
Broadcast Media Interviews (journalists, reporters): Inform the media about new resources, events, rulings, and general information
Strategies and Approaches
The following strategies and approaches will be implemented to achieve each goal. Each approach is designed with consideration of three key questions:
- Are these approaches sustainable?
- Are these approaches user-focused?
- Are these approaches appropriate?
- Approach 1.1: Continuously improve the Supreme Court of Nevada website with mobile-responsiveness, user-friendly interface, and accurate and relevant information. Example(s):
- Streamline and enhance the Court Improvement Program page to clearly define its purpose, separate family law from dependency issues, and highlight the benefits of available trainings.
- Add links to individual court pages and specialty court information, including contact details.
- Approach 1.2: Regularly update social media channels with simplified explanations of court procedures and legal resources. Example(s):
- Create a campaign featuring a series of infographics and short educational videos explaining common court processes and rights. Use the hashtag #AccessToJusticeNV to increase visibility.
- Approach 1.3: Increase visibility of online legal resources to the public. Example(s):
- Place QR code stickers in public areas such as courthouses, libraries, and community centers. These codes should link directly to relevant sections of the Supreme Court of Nevada website.
- Approach 1.4: Evaluate existing channels for broader appeal, efficiency, and engagement. Example(s):
- Enhance the “I’ll Allow it Nevada” podcast to broaden its audience and increase its promotional efforts.
- Approach 1.5: Expand on the use of high-quality photography and videography to complement educational efforts and enhance storytelling. Example(s):
- Attend conferences and events to capture photo and video for social media and website usage.
- Approach 2.1: Increase and expand on community partnerships. Example(s):
- Identify organizations and nonprofits in Nevada that specialize in legal research, legal aid, legal assistance. and civics activity. Collaborate with these groups to participate in events through tabling or presentations.
- Strategize how the AOC is involved in conferences to include tabling with informational handouts and resources.
- Approach 2.2: Increase and expand on school partnerships. Example(s):
- Expand courthouse tours for elementary, middle, and high schools with interactive activities such as pop-quiz with prizes, mock trials, meeting a judge or justice, take-home materials, and scavenger hunts.
- Coordinate with staff to determine and maximize capacity for increased courthouse visits from schools.
- Approach 2.3: Encourage involvement in civics education activities by appellate court staff, judges, and justices. Example(s):
- Identify key civics education programs and events and encourage participation through guest speaking, presenting, and attendance.
- Facilitate participation of judicial officers and court employees by creating a streamlined list of events and detailed ways to get involved.
- Approach 3.1: Increase awareness of specialty courts. Example(s):
- Encourage appellate court staff to attend specialty court graduations to understand the impact of the programs and storytelling opportunities.
- Approach 3.2: Address gaps in training. Example(s):
- Create hands-on workshops and scenario-based learning related to specialty court case management and reporting.
- Approach 3.3: Ensure all court staff are familiar with Supreme Court of Nevada Rule 44 and legal information versus legal advice.
- Develop an internal training course and reference sheets.
- Approach 4.1: Develop educational materials for elementary school, middle school, and high school teachers aligned with Nevada Academic Content Standards. Example(s):
- Offer presentations, reference sheets, and quizzes on topics such as court processes and the role of the judicial branch in Nevada.
- Approach 4.2: Develop educational materials for college professors in the political science, social work, criminal justice, or other related fields. Example(s):
- Offer presentations, reference sheets, and quizzes on topics such as court processes and the role of the judicial branch in Nevada.
- Approach 4.3: Develop educational materials for digital use. Example(s):
- Explain the role of the Supreme Court of Nevada relative to other courts in the state, how the Nevada judicial system functions, the workflow of committees and commissions, the roles and functions of judicial council and regional council, and specialty courts.
- Approach 5.1: Expand on internal appellate court staff communications.
- Keep all appellate court staff updated on new resources, initiatives, and important information. Example(s):
- Update the distribution method to quarterly newsletters to capture analytics such as click-through-rates, open rates, and other relevant information to analyze and determine best engagement strategies.
- Keep all appellate court staff updated on new resources, initiatives, and important information. Example(s):
- Approach 5.2: Expand on communication efforts with judicial officers. Example(s):
- Distribute email announcements to all judicial officers with podcast episode announcements, reminders, resources, and important updates.
- Approach 5.3: Expand on efforts to communicate and engage with appellate court staff using the Appellate Court Staff Intranet. Example(s):
- Include accomplishments, organizational changes, event highlights, practical tips related to work processes, volunteer opportunities, project highlights, activities such as word hunts and puzzles, and an internal services directory.
- Approach 6.1: Expand on communications with the legal community. Example(s):
- Identify organizations and associations in Nevada specializing in legal research, legal aid, and legal assistance.
- Provide them with regular updates on a quarterly or monthly basis, depending on the urgency of the information.
- Approach 6.2: Expand on communications with all court staff. Example(s):
- Coordinate with all Nevada courts to include key information on their websites including the Nevada Self-Help webpage and Legal Information versus Legal Advice.
- Approach 6.3: Streamline communication methods. Example(s):
- Leverage existing listservs to communicate with different judicial and court-related audiences effectively.
- Approach 6.4: Increase the visibility of key messages in opportunity areas. Example(s):
- Increase the visibility of contact information and resources for self-help resources in public libraries and community spaces.
- Approach 6.5: Enhance communication between the judiciary and the media. Example(s):
- Explore offering a media workshop, webinar, or asynchronistic training to teach reporters and journalists about court processes in order to enhance the accuracy of stories about the state’s judicial system.
- Common terminology, court processes, and appellate processes and decisions.
- Explore offering a media workshop, webinar, or asynchronistic training to teach reporters and journalists about court processes in order to enhance the accuracy of stories about the state’s judicial system.
- Approach 6.6: Plan the Annual Report in Advance by Utilizing Quarterly Questionnaires. Example(s):
- Send out a short quarterly questionnaire to all involved departments and stakeholders.
- Focus on collecting key updates, metrics, and details about initiatives and activities while they are fresh in participants' minds.
- Use this information to pre-plan the annual report.
- Approach 7.1: Invite the public to learn about the judiciary. Example(s):
- Coordinate supplemental engagement activities when court is held in locations other than the Supreme Court courthouses.
- Approach 7.2: Highlight judicial officers and their involvement in the local communities.
- Partner with local media outlets for features or segments.
- Share recaps on social media and in newsletters.
- Utilize video to capture how the courts are serving their communities.
- Make media training available for all parties involved.
- Approach 7.3: Continuously assess public perceptions to improve court services. Example(s):
- Implement systems for ongoing public feedback, such as surveys or suggestion boxes at community events and online platforms.
- Make survey templates available for trial courts to collect feedback from their communities.
- Approach 8.1: Expand on multilingual support. Example(s):
- Regularly update the Supreme Court's website and in outreach materials to cater to Nevada’s diverse population.
- Develop a campaign to promote the Court Interpreter Program to attract qualified candidates.
- Approach 8.2: Continuously expand on accessibility practices.
- Ensure that all public-facing materials meet accessibility standards.
Success Measurement Metrics
1. Expand Digital Resources and Tools:
- Google Mobile-Friendly test score, bounce rate reduction, average session duration, reduction in exit rates, changes in page views
- Social media engagement rates, follower growth, increase in reach
- Total traffic generated from QR-linked pages
- Growth in podcast listens
2. Enhance In-Person Engagement Initiatives:
- Number of events attended and presentations made, improve practices based on feedback from event organizers
- Qualitative assessment of educational value from teachers and students via feedback surveys
3. Expand on Internal Education Initiatives:
- Feedback from training modules
- Number of completed training modules
4. Expand on External Education Initiatives:
- Number of classes using materials, survey feedback from students and educators
- Number of educational materials distributed
- Web traffic data for educational materials
5. Enhance Internal Communications:
- Newsletter open rates or link clicks
- Intranet analytics
6. Enhance External Communications:
- Evaluation of responses and feedback received from individuals
- Web traffic data for Supreme Court of Nevada information provided to legal community
7. Foster Community Engagement:
- Survey results
- Number of media placements
8. Improve Accessibility and Inclusion Initiatives:
- Leverage automated web accessibility evaluation tools to inform targeted remediation
- Total number of staff members that complete accessibility trainings
- Increase in qualified certified court interpreter prospects