Our Courts is looking for volunteers. Volunteers can serve as speakers or work on one of the following committees:
Presentation Content
Speaker Training and Coordination
Partner Coordination
Outreach
Finance

Our Courts is a joint activity of the Colorado Judicial Institute and the Colorado Bar Association providing nonpartisan information programs to further public knowledge and understanding of the state and federal courts in Colorado.

For general information please go to www.ourcourtscolorado.org.

Volunteers can contact Carolyn Gravit at (303) 860-1115 or cgravit@cobar.org for more information on speaking or committee work.

Following CJI’s work with the CBA on the Vote No 40 campaign in 2006, as well as examination of the results of various studies, it became clear that the voting public was not well informed about the judicial system. When the Colorado public addressed judicial matters like merit selection, performance evaluation, retention or term limits, their knowledge base was limited. In response to the need for enhanced public education about the judiciary, in 2006-2007, CJI partnered with the Colorado Bar Association to create Our Courts, a statewide non-partisan public education program. Our Courts works with the CJI Public Education Committee. CJI Board members Dr. Elinor Greenberg, Judge Russell Carparelli, Judge Marcia Krieger and Gale Miller have devoted significant time and effort to developing the Our Courts partnership that now includes thirteen statewide organizations, including the primary co-sponsors, CJI and CBA.

Our Courts programs focus on the Colorado State Court system and include information on merit selection, judicial performance evaluation, judicial retention, and the composition of various commissions, among other topics. During Our Courts very successful inaugural year, presentations have been made to almost 3000 individuals through more than 75 diverse community organizations, far exceeding established attendance goals. Over 50 judges and attorneys have been trained to deliver the State Courts presentation. The CJI Board has recently approved a funding request that will support Our Courts, especially the training of speakers and delivery of presentations outside the Denver-metro area.

Current Our Courts presentations cover the Colorado State Courts and Federal Courts in Colorado. For more information on Our Courts or to schedule a presentation, please contact Carolyn Gravit, CBA staff, at 303-824 5323.