January 23, 2025, Question of Ethics Conversation
Brought to You in Cooperation with the National Association for Court Management
Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape the judicial system. AI-powered tools, from legal research assistants to sentencing algorithms and customer service chatbots, offer efficiency but also introduce risks, particularly bias.
Additionally, the confidentiality of court records and legal proceedings becomes a pressing concern, as AI systems require vast sums of data for training—potentially exposing sensitive information to breaches or misuse.
While AI chatbots improve accessibility by guiding litigants through procedural questions, the possibility of providing incorrect information and the prohibition against providing legal advice highlights the need for careful human oversight.
As courts integrate AI into their operations, how do we ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness? What ethical and legal questions arise?
Listen to the January 23, 2025, Episode of A Question of Ethics Conversation on your way to or from work. In your car or on the bus. 41 Minutes 32 Seconds
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Today’s Moderator
Creadell Webb is the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (FJD). He is a highly experienced and accomplished professional with a proven track record of success in creating inclusive work environments.
Creadell has held a variety of positions at the FJD, including judicial law clerk, manager, and deputy chief. In those roles, he demonstrated his ability to lead and motivate teams, draft legal documents, and manage complex projects. He is also a skilled trainer and educator who has conducted numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and educational training programs on DEI.
Creadell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Howard University and a Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Mr. Webb is a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certified professional and holds a “Diversity and Inclusion” certificate from Cornell University’s online program. He is passionate about creating a more just and equitable society. He is a strong advocate for equity in the court system, the legal world, and society.
Today’s Panel
Courtney Whiteside is passionately dedicated to providing the citizens of Missouri with a fair and unbiased judiciary through education and collaboration with the other branches of government, our community and national partners and providing our judicial staff with the tools to be successful in this fast-paced environment.
Her journey in the judiciary started in 2012 in her hometown of St. Charles, Missouri as a court clerk then taking her to Jefferson City to work with the Office of State Courts Administrator and on to the Missouri Supreme Court to serve as the state’s municipal division courts monitor.
Today Courtney is the Director of the St. Louis County Municipal Division where she continues to pursue providing educational opportunities to municipal divisions and clerks through various committees and educational groups of the state while promoting cultural and procedural reform progression. It is her great honor to partner with judicial partners in Missouri and across the nation.
Andrea Powers is an experienced Human Resources Director with a demonstrated history of working in the public sector. Skilled in Coaching, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Policy Development, Employee Relations, Legal Writing, and all aspects of HR across the employee life cycle.
Strong human resources professional with degrees from the University of Oregon and University of Idaho. Also serves as the Americans with Disabilities Act statewide coordinator for the Idaho Courts.
After 38 years as a trial court administrator in the state and federal courts in the U.S., Norman Meyer continues to write, teach, and otherwise participate in judicial administration activities world-wide. In particular, he is active in the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) as a past Regional Vice President and Advisory Board member, in the National Association for Court Management (NACM) as a Past President (having received NACM’s Award of Merit), and as an Associate of the Justice Speakers Institute.
Norman has extensive experience working on international Rule of Law projects, particularly in the Russian Federation, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Albania. Norman is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of New Mexico (Political Science and Russian Studies), and he received the Master of Science in Judicial Administration from the University of Denver College of Law.
Kelly Hutton has worked for the North Dakota Court System since January 2007 and is currently the Court Administrator for Unit 1 which is comprised of two judicial districts with a total of 13 counties and 12 judges. She has served on local committees and assisted in the implementation of many projects in North Dakota.
Kelly currently serves on the ND Caseflow Management Committee, the ND Minority Justice Implementation Committee, and the dashboard sub-group of the caseflow committee, which assisted in the creation implementation, and now updates of the judicial dashboard that is utilized across the state by judges, clerks, staff attorneys and court administrators.
Kelly has served on the NACM Board of Directors since 2019. She is currently the chair of the Conference Development Committee. Kelly has played an integral role in the creation, roll-out, and maintenance of the NACM CORE® Champion Program. Additionally, she has taught caseflow management, accountability and court performance, and operations management across the country.
In 2015, Kelly completed the Court Management Program and in 2017 completed her ICM Fellowship through the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Kelly holds a B.A. in Legal Studies from Hamline University and obtained her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota in 2021.
Amy Emig has worked for the Oregon Judicial Department for the last ten years both. They have spent their time both directly in the courts and more recently in court technology with a focus on business process and how that intersects with technology. They currently hold the title of Business Development Manager with a focus on AI technologies and automation.
Nicholas “Nick” Brackley has worked as a teacher, computer hardware engineer, space entrepreneur, and enterprise architect. Educated at the University of Missouri – Rolla and University of California – San Diego, he’s studied aerospace engineering and system architecture.
He’s working for the State of Oregon’s Judicial Department as an Information Technology specialist as the unofficial “AI guy”. In his free time he enjoys disc golf and tabletop gaming.
Alison Braaten has worked for the North Dakota System since 2013 and is currently the Clerk of District Court in Grand Forks County. Alison completed the Court Management Program in 2017, the Court Executive Program in 2023, and is part of the current ICM Fellows class through the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and is expected to graduate in July 2025.
Alison holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of North Dakota and is currently pursing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota
Roger Rand attended his first NACM conference at the 2009 midyear in Portland, Oregon. A conversation on Ethics caught his attention and he learned how much NACM has to offer. He joined the NACM Board of Directors in 2021 and was selected as the NACM Secretary/Treasurer in 2024.
Roger is a member of the Multnomah Circuit Court management team in Portland, Oregon where he has worked for 30 years. He manages an Information Technology team of 27 professionals in the 4 service areas of Desktop Support, Specialized IT Services, IT Design and Development, and Training and Data Analysis. Roger was appointed as a NACM representative to the Joint Technology Committee in 2018. In 2024 he was appointed as the NACM representative on the Global Advisory Committee. Roger worked as a member of the 2019 JTC workgroup on AI that resulted in a publication Introduction to AI for the Courts that was revised this year. Roger and the JTC Co-Chairs with the support of NCSC led a multi-association collaborative effort to produce the NACM AI Guide, Courting AI: Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Courts.
Court Leader 