National Center for State Courts

Is a non-profit organization headquartered in Williamsburg, VA which is charged with improving judicial administration in the United States and around the world. It functions as a think-tank, a non-profit consulting firm for the courts, and a center of education in the field of judicial administration.

Mission of the NCSC

The National Center for State Courts exists to improve judicial administration in the courts of the United States and courts throughout the entire world. To accomplish this goal, the NCSC acts as a non-profit provider of many services to the courts including: research case studies, consulting, a variety of educational programs, an extensive web database of information on court administration, the largest library of materials on court administration in the world, and continued assistance in the improvement of inter-branch relations through its lobbying and advocacy services.

History of the Center

In March 1971, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Warren E. Burger called for the creation of a central resource for the state and local courts at the First National Conference of the Judiciary, in Williamsburg, VA. This was a reflection of the continuing difficulties faced in the nation's courts during the Warren years, recognized by both Chief Justice Burger and then-President Richard Milhouse Nixon. While the more popular Chief Justice has been widely credited with the first call for the creation of such a resource, in fact, President Nixon was the first to express his support for a central resource for the state and local courts during his opening remarks, which actually occurred the day before Burger's announcement.
Nixon pointed to the importance of the already existant Federal Judicial Center to the nation's federal courts; believing that it was long-overdue for the state courts to have a similar ally.