To help court officials develop an emergency preparedness plan, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), with support from the State Justice Institute, released an updated emergency planning guide titled “NCSC Courts Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning Guide and Template.” This planning guide is designed specifically for courts and outlines a step-by-step plan to address emergencies and natural disasters before, during, and after they occur. The guide was developed starting with a 2019 meeting on lessons learned with court officials from states and territories that had experienced major national disasters (California, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the Virgin Islands). After the meeting, NCSC conducted technical assistance in many of the sites through the lens of the lessons learned, which also informs this guide.
Access the guide to start developing your COOP.