The Minnesota Judicial Branch is seeking feedback from court users to evaluate their experiences with the court system. In August, the Branch will initiate an Access and Fairness Survey designed to assess the court's accessibility, fairness, equality, and respectfulness.
"We take the Access and Fairness Survey very seriously," stated Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. "It's a window into how court users perceive us—and our report card for what we're doing well and what we can do better."
The survey aims to collect input from a wide range of participants including those involved in legal matters, attorneys, service counter users, friends and family of court users, jurors and potential jurors, victims, witnesses, as well as other users of the court system. It will also reach out to remote and in-person hearing participants along with Court Payment Center customers, MJB website visitors, Statewide Self Help Center customers, and External Application Support Team customers.
"It's a big undertaking, but it's worth it because the responses help us build a better judiciary that effectively serves the people of Minnesota," said State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba. "The Access and Fairness Survey ensures accountability of the Judicial Branch and helps us improve overall court operations—and we hope it also builds public trust and confidence in what we do."
This marks the fourth iteration of the Access and Fairness Survey by the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previous surveys were conducted in 2008, 2013, and 2019. The results are available in the Judicial Branch’s annual Performance Measures reports.
"These surveys provide a wealth of information that we use to enhance court services," commented Debra Mueske, District Administrator for the 7th and 8th Judicial Districts. "Learning peoples’ honest experiences with the court helps us understand what we need to improve and how we need to improve it."
The survey will be conducted from August through November. Each court location will choose a specific timeframe within this period for local surveys. The findings will be reported in 2024 as part of its annual Performance Measures reports published each Fall.