I believe the people will be better served by three branches of government that understand each other's functions and communicate with each other in a friendly, cooperative way.

This commission study also was an opportunity to look inward at the operations of the judiciary, its relations with the other branches and how well it is serving the public.

Public awareness of the judicial branch through court-community collaboration is vital to an accurate public view of the judiciary and to the courts truly serving their 'customers,' the citizens. Lawyers are a critical part of this process.

I think there's potential merit when the court needs to go to the Legislature for additional monies for facilities, judges, personnel and so on, to be able to say, 'We have objective measurements and here's why we need such-and-such.'

We'd like to give the Legislature more opportunity to think through [how new laws impact the judicial system]. Whether they choose to address that remains up to them.

If we can establish formal and informal relationships over time and not just during the biennial budget process, ... there will be better understanding of the judicial branch's needs and perspective.

Sometimes the court will choose, even in an area where it has considerable power, to defer to either the legislative or the executive branch or both. I would call that a form of interbranch diplomacy. The trick is to have that kind of diplomacy without surrendering ultimate bottom-line power.