NEWS RELEASE

Embargoed for Release until August 27, 2024

Mark Weinberg, Court Administrator, 7^th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Receives

the Justice Management Institute’s Ernest C. Friesen Award of Excellence

(Denver, CO) – Mark Weinberg has been selected by the Justice Management Institute (JMI) Board of Directors as the recipient of its 2024 Ernest C. Friesen Award of Excellence to recognize his leadership and achievements in enhancing and improving the administration of justice.

Mr. Weinberg was selected for this prestigious award for his contributions to the field of court administration over the past three decades at the local level and his roles in statewide court committees and national associations. Among his many accomplishments are spearheading the implementation of digital court reporting, problem-solving courts, pretrial diversion, and the use of risk-based assessments during his tenure at the 7^th Circuit.

At the state level, Mr. Weinberg’s work has focused on transparency, accountability, ensuring adequacy of judicial resources, and expanding alternatives to traditional adjudication in trial courts through his work as a member of the Trial Court Budget Commission, the Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability, the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court, and the Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts. Mr. Weinberg is also a member of the National Association for Court Management, the National Association of Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers, as well as a number of other national and state justice-related organizations. Prior to becoming the Court Administrator for the 7^th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Mr. Weinberg was an administrator with the Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Justice Management Institute’s Ernie C. Friesen Award is not the first award for Mr. Weinberg. In 2019, he was honored by the National Association for Court Management with its Award of Merit.

Mr. Weinberg graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration and later graduated with a Master’s Degree in Judicial Administration from the University of Denver.

JMI is a non-profit organization that provides training, technical assistance, and applied research to courts and other justice agencies. Our mission is simple Justice Systems that Work. In support of this mission, the JMI Board annually presents the Ernest C. Friesen Award of Excellence to an individual who has demonstrated vision, leadership, and sustained commitment to the achievement of excellence in the administration of justice.

The award is named for Ernie Friesen because he has epitomized a passion for justice combined with keen observation and analytic ability, extraordinary skills as a teacher, and a sustained commitment to improving the leadership and management of courts.  Ernie was, among other things, the first executive director of the Institute for Court Management, the first dean of The National Judicial College, and a director of the United States Administrative Office of the Courts. He also co-authored the first major text on court administration. Beginning with Ernie Friesen, there have been seventeen recipients of the Friesen Award.  Past recipients include trial court administrators, judges, state court administrators, judicial educators, academics, and court consultants.

The Friesen Award was presented to Mr. Weinberg at the annual conference of the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO) in Denver, Colorado on August 27, 2024. JMI’s Vice President, Tim Dibble, presented the award.

For more information about JMI:

The Justice Management Institute

3033 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 700

Arlington, VA 22201

703-414-5477

www.jmijustice.org