Municipal Courts and the Promise of Community Justice

8:00–8:45 am
Check-in and Breakfast (provided)

9:00–9:30 am
Welcome Remarks

• Courtney Bryan, Executive Director, Center for Justice Innovation
• Nancy LaVigne, Dean of Rutgers School of Criminal Justice

9:30–9:40 am
Housekeeping/Stage Transition

9:40–11:00 am
Plenary 1: JLUSA Community Focus Group Insights

Municipal courts touch millions across the country. This plenary shares fresh findings from community questionnaires, focus groups, and regional roundtables held in Alabama, Arizona, and Ohio. We show how fines and fees, court administration, and widely varied court structures can cause harm, and where communities are already building stronger models.

You will hear directly from people most impacted about what fairness looks like, how they navigate debt and supervision, and ways in which credible messengers can help create interactional and procedural justice. JLUSA pairs data with lived expertise and offers a set of recommendations built for local use now: ability-to-pay practices, flexible debt resolution, restorative supervision, and centering lived expertise.

• Ronald Simpson-Bey, Executive Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships, JLUSA
• Emuni Sanderson, Policy Administrative Coordinator, JLUSA
• Zach Ruppel, Policy Analyst, JLUSA
• Regional Expert Panel: Tari Williams, Danny Howe, Sheila Nared

11:00–11:15 am
Break (coffee provided)

11:15–12:30 pm
Breakout Sessions

Session 1: Using Credible Messengers in the Court

This session will explore how courts can engage credible messengers—individuals with lived experience in the legal system—to support people with open municipal court cases. It will define the role of credible messengers, share examples of community-based engagement, and highlight successful court programs that integrate these trusted voices to improve outcomes and break down silos.

• Shannon Bradshaw, Mental Health Court Coordinator, Franklin County Common Pleas Court
• Stacey Dix-Kielbiowski, Program Director, Jersey City Community Solutions-Municipal Court
• Billy Salgado-Benitez, Peer Specialist, Jersey City Community Solutions-Community Court
• Sarah Thompson, Therapeutic Court Coordinator, Spokane Community Court

Session 2: Authentic Engagement and Person-First Language

This session will explore strategies for centering lived experience in municipal courts, drawing on the work of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). Participants will learn how to foster authentic engagement between court actors and people directly impacted by the criminal legal system, building trust and promoting procedural justice. The panel will cover person-first practices, tailoring messages for different audiences, evaluating impact versus implementation, and strengthening relationships among stakeholders to create meaningful change.

• Zach Ruppel, Policy Analyst, JLUSA
• Emuni Sanderson, Policy Administrative Coordinator, JLUSA
• Stephanie Hicks, JustUS Coordinating Councilmember, JLUSA
• Timothy Lanier, Leading with Conviction Fellow, JLUSA
• Samuel Quiles, Case Manager, Newark Community Solutions

Session 3: Access to Justice: Other Municipal Court Functions and Reform Opportunities

Municipal courts touch many aspects of community life—from eviction and traffic violations to truancy. This session will reveal how these everyday court cases can become powerful opportunities for justice and reform. Hear inspiring stories from courts pioneering new approaches that provide alternatives and community support in traffic violations (Red Hook, Brooklyn), eviction practices (Houston, Texas), and small claims (Birmingham, Alabama).

• Katrina Brown-Graham, Client Attorney, Birmingham AIDS Outreach
• Amanda Berman, Senior Director of Court Reform, Center for Justice Innovation
• Megan Lafferty, Senior Program Coordinator of Diversion Programs, Center for Justice Innovation
• Judge Steven Duble, Harris County Justice of the Peace

12:30–1:30 pm
Lunch (provided)

1:30–2:45 pm
Plenary 2: Successful Implementations Panel

Moderated by Judge Victoria Pratt, this panel will feature judges and community providers who successfully implemented community-driven reforms in their respective municipalities. Panelists will discuss how they effectively incorporated the principles of procedural fairness, flexible case resolution, and trusted community voices into their court operations. Featured jurisdictions include Newark, New Jersey and Toledo, Ohio.

• Hon. Victoria Pratt, Former Chief Judge, Newark Municipal Court, Inaugural Presiding Judge of Newark Community Solutions (moderator)
• Hon. Timothy Kuhlman, Judge, Toledo Municipal Court
• Tom Luettke, Reentry Coordinator, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Lucas County, OH
• Kelly Mulligan, Senior Director, Court Reform, Center for Justice Innovation

2:45–3:00 pm
Break (coffee and cookies)

3:00–4:00 pm
Data Visualization

This session examines system-level data as a lens on inequality in municipal courts. Building on Professor Natapoff’s foundational work in collecting data on municipal courts, we will share new progress in collecting and analyzing court data nationwide, revealing both insights and limitations of quantitative approaches to reform.

• Dr. Brennan Klein, Professor, Northeastern University
• Dr. Brandon Michael Terry, Professor, Harvard University

4:00–4:30 pm
Closing Remarks and Preview for Day Two

• Jake Faleschini, Program Director of Justice, Alliance for Justice

5:00–7:00 pm
Optional: Social Hour

Rutgers University
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall
15 Washington St, Newark, NY 07102

8:00–9:15 am
Breakfast (provided) 

9:30–9:45 am
Welcome Remarks

• Ronald Simpson-Bey, Executive Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships, JLUSA

9:45–10:45 am
Plenary: The Opportunity of Municipal Courts

Municipal courts are an enormous and influential yet understudied tier of the American judiciary and criminal system.  Professor Natapoff will provide an overview of the scale, importance, and challenges of the municipal court phenomenon and its implications for our governance system.

• Alexandra Natapoff, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School

10:45–10:50 am
Break

10:50–12:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
Session 1: Tactics for Change: Policy Picture of Municipal Court Reform

Municipal court practices are shaped by policies at the federal, state, and local levels. This session will examine how policy change can both enable and hinder justice reforms in municipal courts. Panelists will highlight examples where targeted shifts improved court operations, promoted equity, and aligned with community needs. The discussion will focus on the link between political context, policy design, and implementation. Participants will leave with practical insights on using policy advocacy to reimagine municipal justice.

• Daniel Ades, Director, New York Legal Policy, Center for Justice Innovation (moderator)
• Rachel Rossi, President/CEO, Alliance for Justice
• Tom Luettke, Reentry Coordinator, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Lucas County, Ohio
• Shelley Schenk, Division Program Coordinator, Lancaster, PA

Session 2: Tactics for Change: Research and Reform

This session looks at how data can drive municipal court reform. When viewed in the right context, data can expose injustices and help hold systems accountable. Using data well means researchers, practitioners, and community members must work together to understand the bigger picture. Join Dr. Brennan Klein as he learns from Montgomery, AL, and Newark, NJ, on how community and research used data to advance their reform efforts.

• Dr. Brennan Klein, Professor, Northeastern University
• Callie Greer, Community Navigator, Alabama Appleseed
• Niaya J. Williams, Community Advocate
• Conor Mulvaney, Data Analytics and Applied Research Team, Center for Justice Innovation

Session 3: Community-Centered Innovations

Creating justice for all begins by designing solutions with those most affected by the system. This session explores how community-centered design and innovation are transforming municipal courts. Through strategic partnerships and neighborhood-based alternatives, courts can build trust and improve outcomes. Attendees will hear from presenters reimagining local justice, showcasing real programs that reduce the economic burden of warrants, holds, and court debt—moving toward a more accessible, efficient, and equitable system.

• Katrina Brown-Graham, Client Attorney, Birmingham AIDS Outreach
• Dianna Kalandros, Director, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Coconino County
• Anza Becnel, Founder, Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere

Session 4: Housing Solutions

Municipal Courts often bear the brunt of rising housing costs and policies that criminalize homelessness. This session will highlight how community courts have responded by integrating local resources and supports as alternatives to ineffective jail time, fines, and fees. These examples offer valuable lessons in harm reduction and showcase effective models for true legal system diversion.

• Hon. Linda Cooke, Judge, Boulder Municipal Court
• Jennifer Sowinkski, Clinical Operations Manager, Downtown Austin Community Court
• Sheila McCarthy, Senior Program Manager, Center for Justice Innovation

12:00–12:30 pm
Closing Remarks and Next Steps

• Colleen Smith, Project Director, Newark Community Solutions, Center for Justice Innovation

12:30–1:30 pm
Lunch and Learn