NEWS RELEASE

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Judiciary to Accept Rules Comments via Internet

Next month the federal Judiciary will for the first time begin accepting comments to proposed amendments to the federal rules via Internet e-mail. The federal rules govern procedure, practice, and evidence in federal courts nationwide.

The text of the proposed amendments will be available on the Judiciary's web site www.uscourts.gov by September 1, 1998. The web site also contains information on the dates of public hearings and details on the submission of comments, including instructions on how to send comments electronically. To access this information, users should click on the For Public Review heading.

"Internet publication offers immediate access to our proposed rule changes so that lawyers, judges, and interested citizens can participate directly in the rule-making process," said Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler, chair of the Judicial Conference's Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. "This step should yield more comments and suggestions from those who follow the careful work of the advisory committees."

The Judicial Conference's Advisory Committees on Bankruptcy, Civil, and Evidence Rules began circulating hard copies of the proposed amendments to interested parties for comment on August 1, 1998. Due to the large volume of the proposed amendments to the bankruptcy rules, all comments must be submitted no later than January 1, 1999. Comments on all other proposed rule changes are due no later than February 1, 1999.

As part of a pilot project and on an optional basis, the advisory committees have agreed to consider comments on the rules received electronically via the Internet in addition to written comments. Those who prefer to send written comments, may send those to the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States, Washington, D.C. 20544.

In addition to the rules information, the Judiciary's Internet site contains general information on the structure of the federal Judiciary, statistics on judicial vacancies, bankruptcies, and civil and criminal caseload; answers to frequently asked questions; job announcements; and more. The site is maintained by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.