What can be done to improve state-federal judicial relationships?
There have been a large number of suggestions for improving understanding of the interrelationship of the state and federal court systems and helping both to function more effectively. These include: • View the state and federal judicial systems as one organic whole, one limited resource that needs to work in harmony to deliver justice most efficiently. • Promote efforts to preserve the integrity of both systems so each can function well, including increasing resources for state systems. • Increase social and professional contacts between judges in the two systems to encourage opportunities to coordinate litigation—state-federal judicial councils should develop simple protocols for coordination. • Joint educational programs to increase cross-system understanding and cooperation, especially with parallel litigation, supplemental jurisdiction, and death penalty habeas corpus. • Consider creating local councils of state and federal judges and administrators, at the city and county level,
