May 2002

DC Family Court: Additional Actions Should Be Taken to Fully Implement Its Transition (GAO-02-584)

The District of Columbia Family Court Act of 2001 was enacted to (1) redesignate the Family Division of the Superior Court as the Family Court of the Superior Court, (2) recruit trained and experienced judges to serve in the Family Court, and (3) promote consistency and efficiency in the assignment of judges and the courts actions and proceedings. The act requires the chief judge of the Superior Court to submit a transition plan outlining the proposed operation of the Family Court. The plan shows that the Superior Court has made progress transitioning its Family Division to a Family Court, but challenges remain. The transition plan addresses most, but not all, of the act's required elements. For example, the plan identifies the number of judges and magistrate judges needed and outlines an approach for closing or transferring cases from other divisions to the Family Court. However, the plan does not include (1) a request that the Judicial Nomination Commission recruit and the president nominate the additional judges the court believes are necessary, (2) the number of non-judicial staff needed for the Family Court, (3) information on the qualifications of the judges selected for the court, and (4) information on how the court determined the number of magistrate judges to hire under the expedited process provided for in the act. Although not specifically required by the act, the plan includes information on performance management and enumerates performance measures that are oriented more toward the court's processes than on outcomes. Measures that focus on outcomes for children and families could help to optimize the court's performance. This testimony is based on a May report (GAO-02-534).