32nd Judicial Circuit honored for efficiency

The 32nd Judicial Circuit has been recognized again for its efficiency in managing its caseload.

Presiding Judge Benjamin Lewis accepted the Daniel O'Toole Award on Feb. 27 on be half of the circuit, which includes Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties, according to a news release from the Missouri Supreme Court.

Fiscal year 2014 is the 11th time the circuit has received the award.

"This award, now in its 17th year, reflects the continuing commitment of the Missouri judiciary to processing cases in a timely manner," Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary R. Russell said in the release.

"We are proud to continue Judge Daniel O'Toole's legacy of promoting efficiency in the operation of the courts, and we thank those circuits that reach this benchmark of service to the public."

The state's case-processing standards serve as guidelines for the time various kinds of cases should take to handle, the relase said.

For example, half of civil cases should be disposed within 12 months, and 90 percent of civil cases should be disposed within 18 months.

The guidelines are designed as tools to achieve the overall efficiency goals, productivity and quality of justice rather than as absolute requirements, because some cases are more complex, according to the release.

The O'Toole Award is named for the late judge's service as the first chairman of the time standards monitoring committee, the release said.

To qualify for the award, a circuit must achieve at least five of the 10 case-processing time standards and not be more than 5 percent from achieving the remaining standards.