Chief Justice’s Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts

About

The mission of the Task Force is to enable Judicial Branch stakeholders to understand the impact on children of exposure to ACEs (adverse childhood experiences; adverse community environments); and to develop strategies for addressing adverse consequences within our court system.

To accomplish this mission, the Task Force will:

Provide judges and court administrators with practical education on the effects of ACEs;
Equip juvenile court officials to recognize young offenders and victims impacted by ACEs;
Identify existing programs and design new programs that intervene in the lives of young ACEs offenders and victims affected by ACEs to put them on a path away from the courthouse and into a successful adult life; and
Provide a platform from which court officials can offer feedback to educators regarding their experiences, with the hope of creating further avenues for research on this important topic.

Read about the Bolch Judicial Institute's Trauma-Informed Court program at Duke University School of Law. The program will help educate court officials on ACEs and related issues.

Members

The Task Force members are appointed by Chief Justice Paul Newby and are representative of all stakeholder groups within our court system: judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, law enforcement, private attorneys, and child-representatives, as well as academic leaders. This talented, experienced, and diverse group are supplemented with an advisory group made up of subject matter experts as well as representatives from law schools, universities, the Executive Branch, and private foundations.

		Chief Justice Paul Newby Supreme Court of North Carolina
		Andrew Heath Judge, North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) Director Task Force Co-Chair
		Ben David District Attorney New Hanover and Pender County Task Force Co-Chair
		Robert (Seth) Banks District Attorney Yancey County
		Meredith Edwards Clerk of Superior Court Alamance County
		Phyllis Gorham Senior Resident Superior Court Judge New Hanover County
		Johnny Jennings Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Chief Mecklenburg County
		Nalini Joseph GAL District Administrator Iredell County
		Bert Kemp Chief Public Defender Pitt County
		David Levi Levi Family Professor of Law and Judicial Studies and Director of the Bolch Judicial Institute Durham County
		David Mahoney Sheriff Transylvania County
		Jack Marin Attorney Durham County
		Quintin McGee District Court Judge Brunswick County
		Angelica McIntyre Chief District Court Judge Robeson County
		Spencer Merriweather District Attorney Mecklenburg County
		Mario Perez District Court Judge Pitt County
		LaToya Powell NCAOC Assistant Legal Counsel Wake County
		Mike Silver NCAOC Training and Services Director Wake County
		Amelia Thorn Bolch Judicial Institute Assistant Director of Special Projects and Articles Editor at Judicature Durham County
		Charles (Casey) Viser Superior Court Judge Mecklenburg County
		Patrick Wooden Bishop, Upper Room Church of God in Christ Wake County