2026 Annual Conference Awards Nominations

Each year CACJ recognizes several outstanding accountability court professionals for their accomplishments and contributions to the accountability court team. Nomination forms for the Accountability Court STAR Awards and Judge Stephen S. Goss Mental Health Award, Judge Tommy Day Wilcox Award, the Legacy of Excellence Award will open June 17, 2026 - July 10, 2026.

New for this year, courts that wish to be considered for model court status must complete an application using an online survey. 

Questions about the award nominations can be directed to Madison Nash. 

Accountability Court STAR Awards

CACJ will continue to recognize star awards during the 2026 Annual Conference. Nominations are made by fellow team members. Each role is scored as a group by members of the CACJ Nominations Committee. The team member with highest average score for each role receives the award.  

• Categories are scored: (from 1-5) 
• Commitment to Accountability Court Values 
• The nominee's impact on Court Operations 
• The nominee's impact on Court Participants  
• Nominations Committee members abstain from voting where there is a conflict of interest. Anyone can be nominated for a star award. 
• The following STAR Award nomination categories are available: 
  • Judge  
  • Coordinator 
  • Case Manager 
  • Defense Attorney
  • Prosecutor 
  • Treatment Provider 
  • Probation officer 
  • Law Enforcement Officer 
  • Family Treatment Court Attorney 
  • Court Appointed Special Advocate  
  • Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) Case Manager 
  • Peer Support Specialist 
  • Veterans Treatment Court Mentor Coordinator 

Judge Stephen S. Goss Mental Health Award

In an effort to commemorate the late Judge Stephen S. Goss and his work as a nationally recognized expert on mental health, the Council of Accountability Court Judges will continue to recognize one mental health court team member for their outstanding contributions in the field. Anyone from a Mental Health Court team can be nominated. 

Judge Tommy Day Wilcox Award

The Tommy Day Wilcox award is a lifetime achievement award that goes to the nominated judge who has a minimum of ten years of service. Nominators should also describe any contributions of service on the team in other roles (prosecutor, defense, etc.) and any service in the community. Judge Tommy Day Wilcox was the first accountability court judge in Georgia and presided over the Macon Drug Court. Sadly, we lost him in 2020 but want to continue to recognize his efforts.

Legacy of Excellence Award – New Award Category

The Legacy of Excellence Award is a new award category that is open to all accountability court team members except for the Judge role. Nominees should possess a minimum of 10 years of service on an accountability court team. Years of service can include time spent in varying team member roles. Additionally, nominators should detail contributions to the community.  

Model Courts

CACJ will recognize Adult Mental Health Courts and DUI Courts during the 2026 Annual Conference. New for this year, courts that wish to be considered for model court status must complete an application using an online survey. The survey will ask several questions about the program, team, and why you want to be a model court. Courts should be able to meet the following guidelines. However, not meeting a guideline will not automatically disqualify your court from consideration.  

• Program in operation at least 4 years 
• Presiding judge has been with program for at least 3 years 
• Coordinator has been with the program for at least 2 years 
• Program met 90% of mandatory certification requirements on first submission 
• Program met 75% of best practice certification requirements on first submission 
• The program serves at least 75% of their reported participant capacity 
• The peer review report reflects a quality program 
• Treatment Monitoring visits report a quality treatment program 
• Team members participate as a peer review team 
• The CACJ Nominations Committee will review and rank the submissions based on the above criteria and other details provided.  If your court is selected, you will be notified and provided additional information. Model court designation is for three years, and the court will be asked to mentor new courts and existing programs that request assistance. Programs who do not meet the minimum requirements are still welcome to apply but should explain any extenuating circumstances.  

Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at the 2026 conference.  

For additional information about award nominations, please contact: