The state’s court system has pledged to ensure equal access to court resources for non-English speakers in the wake of a U.S. Department of Justice review.

As a condition of an agreement reached last month with the justice department, the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts will be monitored for 12 months, during which time it will provide quarterly updates to federal officials regarding any developments related to providing language services.

The justice department’s review was prompted by a complaint it received in 2014 about a Kentucky circuit court judge who failed to provide interpreter services to a person who requested an interpreter in a court proceeding.

The judge was cooperative with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division over the course of the review and has not been the subject of further complaints, according to a letter written to Kentucky AOC Director Laurie Dudgeon last month by Christine Stoneman, acting chief of the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

During the 12-month monitoring phase, the state administrative court office will also inform the DOJ of any new complaints that allege a failure to provide language assistance services to people with limited English-speaking proficiency.

Marc Theriault, general counsel for the AOC, said the agreement will not lead to any increased obligations or burdens on the state court system.

“The underlying matter was really more of a misunderstanding than anything as far as what services were out there,” Theriault said. “We’ve worked hard to educate our judges on what services we provide and what we do to educate local attorneys on what services are out there.”

The state AOC offers interpreting services for people with limited English proficiency who have to interact with the court system, including defendants, witnesses, people filing motions in civil cases, people interacting with the circuit clerk’s office, family or juvenile services programs.

“In the last year we interpreted for over 100 different languages,” Theriault said. “Bowling Green is really a hotbed of diversity in the language access arena. We have a full-time staff interpreter in Bowling Green and provide contract services for rare and hard-to-find languages.”

State court officials are working with the DOJ to develop a complaint form that will allow people with limited English proficiency to file a grievance with the DOJ regarding the provision or quality of language assistance services in the state court system.

The form will be available in 12 languages.

“I commend the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts for committing to ensure that all individuals, regardless of the language they speak, can fully and fairly access court services and proceedings,” Principal Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a news release. “We look forward to working collaboratively to continue these critical efforts and ensure equal access to justice for all.”

The state AOC’s language access manager conducted nine sessions across the state to educate court officials about available interpreter services, Theriault said, and the state is also in the midst of translating several court documents into various languages.

“I think we’re, frankly, happy that this issue is getting the attention it deserves,” Theriault said. “The court system is absolutely committed to access to justice across the board … for people who don’t speak English proficiently, we want them to feel they are entitled to the same level of justice as anyone else.”

— Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.