news
Colorado Judicial Branch
Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice
Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator
______
April 20, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:Karen Salaz
303/837-3633
1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633
Chief Judge O’Hara attends national juvenile justice institute
Fourteenth Judicial District Chief Judge Mick O’Hara has recently returned from the 31st National Conference on Juvenile Justice heldMarch 28-31, 2004, in Las Vegas, Nevada. O’Hara was selected by the State Justice Institute (SJI) to receive a scholarship to attend the conference.
“Every day we rely on our local trial judges to resolve disputes fairly and deliver justice to the litigants in diverse areas of the law,” says O’Hara. “Cases involving juveniles are unique in our system. It is important that judges receive specialized training to balance compassion and provide children with the tools they need to try to get back on the right track.”
The conference is jointly sponsored by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, of which O’Hara is a member, and approximately 1,800 people attended, from all over the country. Several nationally recognized juvenile experts presented diverse programs designed to raise the awareness of attendees in all areas of juvenile law. O’Hara will be working with other judges in Colorado who deal with juvenile cases to integrate the information from the training into the state’s program.
“I am always searching for ways to challenge and inspire the young people who appear before me,” says O’Hara. “This program has provided me with several new ideas and introduced me to new programs around the country.
“Juvenile justice will always present a special set of challenges for judges especially in outlying areas of the state where diversion options are often limited,” says O’Hara. “The scholarship provided by SJI has allowed me to see how other judges across the nation are dealing with the same sets of barriers we are working with here in our community.”
Judge O’Hara was appointed to the district court bench in August 2002. He was appointed chief judge of the district by Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey on the day he took office. Prior to his appointment, he was in private practice inRouttCounty specializing in family law, personal injury and criminal defense.
The State Justice Institute is a non-profit organization established by federal law to award grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts nationwide, facilitate better coordination between state and federal courts, and foster innovative efficient solution to common problems faced by all courts. More information about the institute is available on the SJI website
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