Communication in Court

Get the publication that details access to state courts

Today the Justice Department issued a new publication, “Language Access in State Courts,” that provides an overview of the importance of legal requirements for, and accomplishments in, providing language access services in state courts across the country.                                                                                   
Please click here to read the publication and share it with your colleagues.

The report – published by the Civil Rights Division’s Federal Coordination and Compliance Section – covers several key areas related to language access in state courts, including:

• Court services and programs;
• Criminal court proceedings;
• Civil court proceedings;
• Limited English Proficient (LEP) witnesses, victims, and others;
• No-cost language services; and
• Qualification and training of interpreters. 

The publication also provides different sets of resources, including examples of the Justice Department’s enforcement and technical assistance work along with other materials.
The Civil Rights Division has committed to a Courts Language Access Initiative to focus on the implementation of language access requirements and best practices in courts.  Despite the significant progress that we have achieved, however, the challenge of providing meaningful language access in state courts demands that we continue to modernize, innovate, and keep pace with the evolving demographics of our country.

We hope you find this publication useful as you encounter these challenges in your communities in the months and years ahead.  At the Department of Justice, we look forward to advancing the mission of equal access to state courts by forging dynamic partnerships with all stakeholders, by removing language access barriers, and by celebrating the diversity of our people that has always defined the resiliency and strength of our nation.