Madison Central High School/Kentucky Tech team is 2010 state mock trial tournament champion
After going five rounds with the competition in the case of United States of America v. Cassius M. Clay, Madison Central High School/Kentucky Tech from Richmond earned the championship title Sunday, March 7, in the 2010 Kentucky High School Mock Trial Tournament in Louisville. The championship round took place at the Muhammad Ali Center. This is the third time that a team from Madison Central/Kentucky Tech has won the championship, also winning it in 2009 and 2001. The title qualifies the team to compete in the National High School Mock Trial Tournament from May 6-9 in Philadelphia. The duPont Manual High School Red Team from Louisville was the runner-up in the tournament.
Owen County to break ground for $11.47 million judicial center March 11
The public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for the planned Owen County Judicial Center on Thursday, March 11, at 3 p.m. EST. The event will take place at the existing courthouse at 100 N. Thomas St. in Owenton. The construction site is located at 401 S. Main St. in Owenton. Owen County Judge-Executive Carolyn H. Keith will be among the speakers at the ceremony.
AOC accepting applications for chief information officer
The Administrative Office of the Courts is seeking a chief information officer to direct the information technology initiatives for the Kentucky Judicial Branch. This is an exciting opportunity for a person with experience, vision and leadership to take Kentucky’s strong court technology program to a new level. Deadline to apply is March 19, 2010.
Highlands High School is state champ in We the People competition for 6th year in a row
For the sixth consecutive year, Highlands High School in Fort Thomas has won the state championship in the We the People … The Citizen and the Constitution civic education competition. The Highlands High team prevailed over two other high schools at the state competition March 1 in Frankfort to earn the honor of competing for the national title in Arlington, Va., and potentially Washington, D.C., from April 24-26. Ohio County High School from Hartford took the runner-up position in the state civic education competition for the sixth year in a row. A team from Owen County High School from Owenton also competed. At the national competition, the team will participate in hearings for two days in Virginia and, if it is among the 10 teams with the highest cumulative scores after those two days, will advance to the finals on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on April 26.
Court system to offer free guardian ad litem training
The Administrative Office of the Courts is pleased to offer training for guardians ad litem at six locations in Kentucky between March and June 2010. The one-day program is free and will provide 6.5 credit hours of continuing legal education, which will include 1 credit hour of ethics.
AOC announces changes to service providing criminal record reports
The AOC is making changes to its service that provides criminal background reports. The following changes will be effective Jan. 19, 2010:
• There will be a standard fee of $15 for all criminal background reports.
• A new automated program, AOCFastCheck, will allow the public to request and receive reports online.
• There will be only three ways to request records – online, by drive-thru service in Frankfort and by mail.
Judicial Branch financial information now on Kentucky's OpenDoor website
Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. announced today that the Judicial Branch has joined the e-Transparency initiative launched by the Executive Branch earlier this year. Judicial Branch expenditures and contracts are now posted on Kentucky's OpenDoor website at www.opendoor.ky.gov. Visitors to the website will find a searchable database of line-item expenditures for the Judicial Branch from January 2007 to the present. They can also find contract information.