Chief Justice Loretta Rush (Indiana Supreme Court) shares her experience as a chair of the National Judicial Opioid Task Force, presenting the findings of the task force as well as new resources and a call for enhanced cooperation between federal and state courts in addressing the opioid crisis. 

Dr. Robert DuPont, an expert in drug-abuse prevention and treatment for fifty years, served as the first director of the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and as the second White House Drug Chief under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Dr.

Chief Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley (D. Mass.) and Deputy Chief Probation Officer Joseph LaFratta (D. Mass.) discuss the structure, commitment required, and lessons learned from their court’s experience with a successful drug treatment court program. 

Judge Irene M. Keeley (N.D. W. Va.) introduces this series, designed to provide judges with a basic understanding of opioid use and its effect on the federal courts, and outlines the objective: to equip judges with a series of takeaways they can readily apply in their respective courts.