Maine Courts Have ‘Model’ Interpreter System Under DOJ Agreement
The administrator for Maine’s courts says the state now has a model system for court interpreters now that a Justice Department investigation has been resolved.
Administrator Ted Glessner told the Associated Press the state can get an interpreter on the phone in minutes if someone shows up at a clerk’s window with limited English proficiency.
He also said interpreters are available for court hearings and documents have been printed in multiple languages. The state makes interpreters available for civil as well as criminal cases, according to a Justice Department press release.
The Justice Department will monitor Maine’s courts for two years under the agreement announced yesterday, according to the press release.
Legislation in California would also have provided interpreters in civil cases, but the governor vetoed the bill because of state budget problems, the Metropolitan News Enterprise reports.
