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How to Manage Judges

Events and CalendarsUpdated 11 min read

Required permissions
  • create judges
  • update judges
or Super Admin

Judges are records your agency keeps under Settings so you can assign them to events, cases, and warrants, filter by them, and merge their details into messages.

Overview​

The Judges tab under Settings holds a directory of judge records. Each record stores a name, a reference, contact details, a default location or its own address, a room, a virtual meeting link, and a description.

Once a judge exists, the name appears in the Judge name dropdown on the event screen, in the Search Events filter, in the Assigned Judge filter on a bulk action, in the Judge field on a case, in the Judge filter and the Assign cases window on the Cases screen, and in the Assign to Judge search on a warrant. Judge merge tags pull the record's details into your message templates.

Two things behave differently and are worth knowing before you start. An event stores the judge as plain text in its Judge name field, so the event holds a copy of the name rather than a link to the record. A case and a warrant store the judge record itself, so they stay attached even if you rename the judge. A case has one judge.

Prerequisites​

  • Access to Admin > Settings > Judges, which needs the view_any_location permission
  • The create_judges permission to add a judge, and update_judges to edit, archive, or restore one
  • (Optional) A location, if you want to set a Default Location on the judge
  • (Optional) A portal, if you want to set a Default Portal on the judge
  • (Optional) The update_events permission, the same one that saves a case, if you want to assign judges to cases

How-To Steps​

Create a Judge​

  1. Click Admin in the top navigation bar, then select Settings.
  2. Click the Judges tab.
  3. Enter the judge's name in Name in the Create Judge card.
  4. Select a Type from the dropdown. The options are supervision, guardian, law enforcement, employer, school, court, medical, and other.
  5. Enter a Phone and an Email if you have them.
  6. Click Create.

The new judge appears at the top of the table.

Complete a Judge Profile​

  1. Click the edit icon next to the judge in the table.
  2. Fill in the fields you need in the Edit Judge card.
  3. Click Save.

The Edit Judge card holds these fields:

FieldNotes
NameThe name the rest of the platform matches on.
ReferenceYour primary system's ID for this judge. Optional.
Photo URLA link to an image. The photo shows at the top of the judge screen and on a warrant this judge is assigned to.
TypeThe same list offered in the Create Judge card.
Default PortalThe portal that the [JudgeLink] merge tag builds its address from.
Default LocationA saved location. Choosing one hides the address fields below and shows the location card beside the form.
Address, Address 2, City, State, Zip, CountyShown only while Default Location is empty.
RoomA courtroom or office number.
Phone, Email, WebsiteContact details.
Virtual LinkA virtual meeting link.
Virtual CodeAppears once Virtual Link has a value.
DescriptionFree text about the judge.
URLThe value added to the end of the [JudgeLink] address.

Each field that has a merge tag shows the tag under the input. Click the tag to copy it to your clipboard.

Assign a Judge to an Event​

  1. Click Events in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the edit icon on an event to open it.
  3. Select the judge from Judge name in the Edit Event card.
  4. Click Save.

Judge name is the default label. Your agency can rename it under Admin > Settings in the Custom Fields section, in which case your own label shows here instead.

To record a name that is not in the list, select Add a new Judge, type the name into the New Judge Name field that appears, then click Save. This saves the name on that event only. It does not create a record under Admin > Settings > Judges.

Assign a Judge to a Warrant​

  1. Go to Cases > Warrants and open a warrant.
  2. Enter part of the judge's name in Search Judges in the Assign to Judge card.
  3. Click Search.
  4. Click the judge in the results list.

The card changes to Assigned Judge and shows the judge's photo, name, email, and phone. Click View Profile to open the judge record, or Unassign to remove the judge.

Assign a Judge to a Case​

  1. Click Cases in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the edit icon on a case to open it.
  3. Select the judge in Judge in the case form.
  4. Click Save.

Clear the Judge field and click Save to remove the judge. The change is listed in the case's Assignment history card.

Assign Judges to Many Cases​

  1. Click Cases in the top navigation bar.
  2. Choose the cases:
    • To use your filters, set them in Search Cases, click Search, then click Assign cases in the Assign cases card.
    • To use specific cases, check them in the results table, then click Assign above the table.
  3. Select Set a judge in What to do with the judge.
  4. Pick one or more judges in Judges to set. With two or more, each case gets one of them, spread evenly by caseload. A caseload counts only open cases, which are neither archived nor trashed.
  5. Select Skip that case or Replace it in When a case already has a judge.
  6. Enter a number in Most cases per judge if you picked two or more judges and want a cap.
  7. Click Preview.
  8. Read what would change.
  9. Click Assign (the button names the number of cases).

Select Clear the judge in step 3 to remove the judge from every case in scope. Click Undo in the result window to reverse the run. See How to Manage Cases for the preview, the 2,000 case limit, and undo.

Find a Judge's Cases​

  1. Go to Admin > Settings > Judges.
  2. Click the edit icon next to the judge in the table.
  3. Read the Assigned cases card.
  4. Click the button below the list, for example View all 48 cases, to open the Cases list filtered to this judge.

You can also filter the Cases list yourself: select the judge in Judge in the Search Cases card, or select No judge to find cases without one.

Filter Events by Judge​

  1. Click Events in the top navigation bar.
  2. Select a judge from Judge name in the Search Events card.

The results refresh as soon as you change the selection.

Filter a Bulk Action by Judge​

  1. Click Bulk Actions in the top navigation bar.
  2. Open a bulk action from the table.
  3. Select a judge from Assigned Judge in the Search Clients card.

Import Judge Names from a Flat File​

Map your file's judge column to the Assigned Judge field in an upload template. The value lands in the event's Judge name field. Rows that arrive with no judge fall back to the Primary Judge Name setting.

Set a Default Judge Name for New Events​

  1. Go to Admin > Settings.
  2. Enter a name in Primary Judge Name in the Events section.
  3. Click Save.

Any event created without a judge is saved with this name. The Available Judge Names field beside it takes a comma separated list of names.

Show a Judge on a Location​

  1. Go to Admin > Settings > Locations and open a location.
  2. Select a judge from Default Judge.
  3. Click Save.

The name appears on that location's public portal page. If Default Judge is empty, the portal page lists the names from Available Judge Names instead.

Merge Judge Details into Messages​

Merge TagInserts
[JudgeName]The event's Judge name value.
[JudgeReference]The judge's Reference.
[JudgeType]The judge's Type.
[JudgeAddress]The judge's Address and Address 2.
[JudgeFullAddress]The judge's Address, Address 2, City, State, and Zip.
[JudgeRoom]The judge's Room.
[JudgePhone]The judge's Phone.
[JudgeEmail]The judge's Email.
[JudgeWebsite]The judge's Website.
[JudgeVirtualLink]The judge's Virtual Link.
[JudgeVirtualCode]The judge's Virtual Code.
[JudgeDescription]The judge's Description.
[JudgeLink]A portal address built from the judge's Default Portal and URL.

[JudgeName] prints whatever text the event holds. Every other tag looks the judge up by matching the event's Judge name to a judge record's Name exactly, and it skips archived and trashed judges.

What to Expect​

Saving is immediate and a confirmation message appears. The judge screen also shows an Events card listing the ten most recent events whose Judge name matches this judge's Name, with a link to the full list.

The Assigned cases card lists the ten newest cases assigned to this judge, with each case's status and type, and a button that reads View all and the number of cases (for example View all 48 cases). It shows cases assigned through the Judge field on a case or the Assign cases window. An event's Judge name does not assign the judge to a case.

Because an event keeps the judge's name as text, renaming a judge does not update events that were already saved. Those events keep the old name and drop out of the judge's Events card.

Best Practices​

  • Enter the name exactly as you want it printed, since [JudgeName] sends the stored text through to your messages unchanged.
  • Leave the title out of the Name field and enter "Amy Stephens" rather than "Judge Amy Stephens". Portal event pages print your agency's judge label themselves and remove the word "Judge" from the stored value.
  • Keep spelling consistent across events, because the Search Events filter, the bulk action filter, and every judge merge tag match on the exact name.
  • Set a Default Location rather than retyping an address on each judge. The address fields disappear once a location is selected, and the location card shows the address beside the form.
  • Set Primary Judge Name under Admin > Settings so events created without a judge, including uploaded ones, still get a name.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Does the Add a new Judge option on the event screen create a judge record?

No. It saves the name to that event's Judge name field only. Create the record under Admin > Settings > Judges if you want it in the directory and available to the other judge merge tags.

Can I assign more than one judge to an event?

No. An event holds a single Judge name value.

Can a case have more than one judge?

No. A case holds one judge. When you pick two or more judges in the Assign cases window, each case gets one of them, spread evenly by caseload.

How do I remove a judge?

There is no delete button. Open the judge and use Tools > Archive or Tools > Trash. Find them again with the Archived or Trashed checkbox in the Search Judges card, then use Tools > Restore.

What permissions do I need?

Viewing the Judges tab needs view_any_location. Adding a judge needs create_judges, editing, archiving, and restoring need update_judges, and trashing needs trash_judges.

Why did the address fields disappear from the judge form?

They only show while Default Location is empty. Clear Default Location if you want to store an address on the judge record itself.

Troubleshooting​

A judge merge tag other than [JudgeName] prints nothing.

Symptoms: The message sends with the judge's phone, room, or address missing.

Solution:

  1. Confirm the event has a value in Judge name.
  2. Confirm that value matches a judge record's Name exactly, since the lookup is an exact match.
  3. Confirm the judge is not archived or trashed, because archived and trashed records are skipped.
  4. Confirm the field you are merging has a value on the judge record.
A judge is missing from the Judge name dropdown on the event screen.

Symptoms: You cannot find the judge when editing an event, even though the record exists under Settings.

Solution:

  1. Check that the judge is not archived or trashed under Admin > Settings > Judges.
  2. Remember that the event screen loads only the first twenty judges in alphabetical order. If your directory is larger, select Add a new Judge and type the name instead.
The judge's Assigned cases card says No cases assigned.

Symptoms: The judge screen shows no cases even though the judge is named on events.

Solution:

  1. Remember that the card lists cases, not events. An event's Judge name does not assign the judge to its case.
  2. Set the judge on a case in its Judge field, or on many cases with Assign cases on the Cases screen.
The judge's Events card says no events found.

Symptoms: The judge screen shows no events even though matching events exist.

Solution:

  1. Compare the event's Judge name with the judge's Name, since the card matches on the exact name.
  2. Correct the spelling on the event from Events, or correct the Name on the judge record.

Important: If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.