Council for Court Excellence
Improving Justice for the Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Building a More Equitable Justice System in D.C.
Council for Court Excellence [CCE] projects are overseen by four standing program committees: Criminal Justice, Youth Justice, Justice Education, and Civil Justice.
Criminal Justice
Since CCE’s inception in 1982, the Criminal Justice Committee has diligently researched the most important, urgent issues facing the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system, and recommended policy and practice reforms to benefit everyone involved, from defendants, victims, prosecutors and defense attorneys, to judges, law enforcement, and corrections personnel.
Over the last 37 years, the Criminal Justice Committee has worked on issues as varied as sentencing reform, police overtime, criminal record sealing and expungement, disorderly conduct statutes, perceptions of public safety, barriers to employment for returning citizens, and the treatment afforded people with mental illness by the criminal justice system. Recommendations by the Criminal Justice Committee are taken seriously by DC Council, the courts, and other institutions within the criminal justice system, and have resulted in amendments to the criminal code and the creation of several laws regarding re-entry from prison and jail.
Youth Justice
Since 1982, CCE’s Youth Justice Committee has worked to improve outcomes for DC youth involved in the juvenile justice, criminal, and child welfare systems. To this end, the committee researches and analyzes local youth justice issues, publishes reports documenting its findings, and advocates for changes to local juvenile justice laws, systems, and policies.
The Youth Justice Committee has achieved significant success over the past 37 years. In 1988, the committee developed the Practice Manual for Child Abuse and Neglect Cases in DC. This project led the committee to focus its efforts on improving the child welfare system. From 1992 to 2012, the committee facilitated collaboration among DC child welfare leaders, monitored District compliance with the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act, and published biannual progress reports tracking systemic improvements. Another accomplishment of the committee is its 2009 Guide to the DC Juvenile Justice System, a plain English overview of how the DC juvenile justice system functions. CCE has distributed thousands of copies of this guide throughout the DC community and also has conducted community training sessions based on its content. The committee’s most recent major project was its 2015 report Equity in School Discipline, an overview of DC school discipline procedures and policies.
Justice Education
Since 1982, CCE’s Justice Education Committee has educated the District of Columbia community about local justice issues. To this end, the committee publishes plain English guides concerning DC justice issues, and also conducts presentations based on these guides throughout the community.
Over the past 37 years, CCE’s Justice Education Committee has published eight community guides, including its earliest publication When Someone Dies: A Non-Lawyer’s Guide to Probate in Washington, DC, and its more recent When an Adult Needs Decision-making Help: Legal Tools Available in the District of Columbia. The committee has also sponsored legal trainings for attorneys and judges. For several years, the committee partnered with the DC Superior Court to execute jury service appreciation events at the courthouse. Since 1991, the committee has sponsored the School Jury Education Project, through which local and federal judges teach high school students about serving on a jury in the District of Columbia.
Civil Justice
Since 1982, CCE’s Civil Justice Committee has worked to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the D.C. courts. Notable past projects have included jury reform and modernization, probate reform, civil case delay reduction, increasing public access to electronic court records, and improving D.C.’s administrative adjudication system, among others. The projects have resulted in studies and reports recommending improvements to the District’s court and related systems.
DC Criminal and Juvenile Justice Landscape Review
The Public Welfare Foundation intends to begin supporting local juvenile and criminal justice projects in Washington, DC in March 2019. IN order to build upon its existing knowledge, the Foundation has requested that the Council for Court Excellence (CCE) provide a landscape review of DC's juvenile and criminal justice systems, from point-of-arrest through reentry. This landscape review will include a map/overview of DC's systems and processes, including an explanation of DC's unique jurisdictional status and its impact on these systems; a population data snapshot (wherever available); an overview of key stakeholders; and an explanation of currently identified issues and opportunities.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of stories successfully placed in the media
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of testimonies offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of research or policy analysis products developed, e.g., reports, briefs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planFinancials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Council for Court Excellence
Board of directorsas of 02/06/2023
Ms. Marianela Peralta
Aerotek, Inc.
Term: 2021 -
Irvin B. Nathan
Arnold & Porter LLP
James H. Hulme
Arent Fox LLP
Julia A. Matthews
Civic Director
Patrick McGlone
Ullico Inc.
Debra Belott
Jones Day
Lisa Zycherman
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Karen Evans
The Cochran Firm
John (Jay) B. Kennedy
The Washington Post
Joshua B. Bernstein
Bernstein Management Company
Abigail Blomstrom
Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Kevin A. Chambers
Latham & Watkins
Paulette E. Chapman
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson, & DePaolis, LLP
Eric S. Glover
Civic Director
Paul S. Lee
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Hon. Heidi Pasichow
Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Benjamin J. Razi
Covington & Burling LLP
Elizabeth A. Scully
BakerHostetler
Natalie S. Walker
Webster & Fredrickson, PLLC
Tyrone Walker
Civic Director
Tami Weerasingha-Cote
Children's Law Center
Cynthia G. Wright
Civic Director
Lisa B. Zycherman
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/26/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.