The National Center for State Courts is an independent, nonprofit court improvement organization founded at the urging of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Warren E. Burger. He envisioned NCSC as a clearinghouse for research information and comparative data to support improvement in judicial administration in state courts. Over twenty years ago, the Institute for Court Management merged with NCSC, adding an educational curriculum especially designed for court managers. In the early 1990s, an international division was formed to offer a similar array of research, consulting, education, and information services to strengthen the rules of law in countries around the world.