§ 7A-343. Duties of Director. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 7A‑343.  Duties ofDirector.

The Director is theAdministrative Officer of the Courts, and the Director's duties include all ofthe following:

(1)        Collect and compilestatistical data and other information on the judicial and financial operationof the courts and on the operation of other offices directly related to andserving the courts.

(2)        Determine the stateof the dockets and evaluate the practices and procedures of the courts, andmake recommendations concerning the number of judges, district attorneys, andmagistrates required for the efficient administration of justice.

(3)        Prescribe uniformadministrative and business methods, systems, forms and records to be used inthe offices of the clerks of superior court.

(3a)      Maintain and staff asnecessary an Internal Audit Division of the Judicial Department and theAdministrative Office of the Courts that:

a.         Evaluates anddiscloses potential weaknesses in the effectiveness of internal controls in thecourt system for the purpose of safeguarding public funds and assets andminimizing incidences of fraud, waste, and abuse.

b.         Examines andanalyzes the design and effectiveness of administrative and proceduraloperations.

c.         Ensures overallcompliance with federal and State laws, internal and external regulations,rules and procedures, and other applicable requirements.

d.         Inspects and reviewsthe effectiveness and efficiency of processes and proceedings conducted byjudicial officers.

e.         Collaborates withother divisions to guide, direct, and support court officials in efforts toconform to both recommended and required compliance standards.

f.          Executes routineaudits of the Judicial Department's systems and controls, including, but notlimited to:

1.         Accounting systemsand controls.

2.         Administrativesystems and controls.

3.         Electronic dataprocessing systems and controls.

(4)        Prepare and submitbudget estimates of State appropriations necessary for the maintenance andoperation of the Judicial Department, and authorize expenditures from fundsappropriated for these purposes.

(5)        Investigate, makerecommendations concerning, and assist in the securing of adequate physicalaccommodations for the General Court of Justice.

(6)        Procure, distribute,exchange, transfer, and assign such equipment, books, forms and supplies as areto be acquired with State funds for the General Court of Justice.

(7)        Make recommendationsfor the improvement of the operations of the Judicial Department.

(8)        Prepare and submitan annual report on the work of the Judicial Department to the Chief Justice,and transmit a copy to each member of the General Assembly.

(9)        Assist the ChiefJustice in performing his duties relating to the transfer of district courtjudges for temporary or specialized duty.

(9a)      Establish and operatesystems and services that provide for electronic filing in the court system andfurther provide electronic transaction processing and access to courtinformation systems pursuant to G.S. 7A‑343.2.

(9b)      Enter into contractswith one or more private vendors to provide for the payment of fines, fees, andcosts due to the court by credit, charge, or debit cards; such contracts mayprovide for the assessment of a convenience or transaction fee by the vendor tocover the costs of providing this service.

(9c)      Prescribe policiesand procedures for the appointment and payment of foreign language interpretersin those cases specified in G.S. 7A‑314(f). These policies and proceduresshall be applied uniformly throughout the General Court of Justice. Afterconsultation with the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations,the Director may also convert contractual foreign language interpreterpositions to permanent State positions when the Director determines that it ismore cost‑effective to do so.

(9d)      Analyze the use of contractualpositions in the Judicial Department and, after consultation with the JointLegislative Commission on Governmental Operations, convert contractualpositions to permanent State positions when the Director determines it is inthe best interests of the Judicial Department to do so.

(10)      Perform suchadditional duties and exercise such additional powers as may be prescribed bystatute or assigned by the Chief Justice.  (1965, c. 310, s. 1; 1967, c. 1049, s. 5; 1973, c.47, s. 2; 1999‑237, s. 17.15(a); 2006‑187, ss. 1(b), 2(b), 5(b);2007‑393, s. 11; 2009‑516, s. 3.)