NJEP

This publication describes in detail each module of the National Judicial Education Program's free web course Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse: Adjudicating This Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence. For more information about NJEP's web course, please contact njep@legalmomentum.org. 

Legal Momentum Joins Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Washington Carol Baldwin Moody, LM’s President and CEO, was an honored guest in Washington for Women’s Equality Day, where she met with Justice Ginsburg and other women leaders for a private conversation about the future of women’s equality. Hosted by the National Women’s Party, the event asked leaders like Carol to be part of a vibrant conversation about voting rights and women’s equality under the law.

Legal Momentum announces a new online training course, Helping Sexual Assault Victims Navigate the Criminal Justice System, designed to prepare non-lawyer victim advocates to help their clients navigate the criminal justice process. 

What I Wish I Had Known BEFORE I Presided in an Adult Victim Sexual Assault Case Sexual assault cases present a unique challenge for the judiciary. They are unique in that they are beset with a myriad of deeply held stereotypes and misconceptions that can undermine the judicial process. To assist new judges, NJEP canvassed judges across the country who had attended NJEP programs to ask what these judges wished they had known before they presided in an adult victim sexual assault case, or a case of co-perpetrated sexual abuse and domestic violence. Judges Tell presents these judges' 25 points followed by commentary and sources.

The following suggestions were developed by judges from more than 25 state and tribal jurisdictions who attended presentations of the National Judicial Education Program’s Understanding Sexual Violence curriculum. During these presentations judges were asked how they could incorporate the material explored into their role as judges during the pre-trial, trial, and sentencing phases of an adult victim sexual assault case. Their ideas are summarized here. Since laws and procedures vary, these ideas may or may not apply to your jurisdiction.