ABSTRACT
The Hierarchy of Court Administration makes a court a living institution. The Hierarchy of Court Administration identifies the bones, blood vessels, muscles, and skin that give shape, color, and function to that infrastructure. One of the most important aspects of the Hierarchy in thinking about Conference of State Court Administrators's caution is that it is not task-specific. It defines functions that courts must perform; specific tasks are not laid out. The difference between a task and a function is similar to the difference between a requirements analysis for new software and detail design. The Hierarchy also provides a conceptual framework the public can understand, just as people have a gut recognition of the value and appropriateness of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The Hierarchy of Court Administration grows out of the purposes. In the Hierarchy of Court Administration, problem-solving courts are in level four, not level one, so the implication is that they can be abandoned or cut back during recessions.
