How difficult is this given the large number of non-English speakers in the District?
We’re blessed in Washington because we’re two miles from the U.S. State Department, which has access to any language in the world. Unlike many parts of the country, we can get an interpreter for anyone who comes into the courthouse. We also have a number of Spanish speakers on staff because now Spanish is really like a second language. We also have in-house signing capability. One of the things I’m interested in looking at in the future is using videoconferencing when dealing with the more obscure languages. It might be more cost effective to have someone available by videoconferencing to do the interpreting. Tell me about the various resource centers the court has set up for pro se litigants. We have resource centers for small claims, landlord and tenant, probate and for the family court. The resource centers provide help for pro se litigants on both sides, so it’s not just an advocacy group. The court has a small staff that we have dedicated to the Landlord and Tenant Resource Center
