Latest News and Information from the Judiciary http://www.uscourts.gov/Common/RSSFeeds.aspx http://backend.userland.com/rss Weeks before the NATO protests in Chicago, the Court Security Committee for the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse assessed security concerns and plans. Court Security Committees in districts across the country are critical to the public's safety in federal courthouses. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-21/The_Best_Possible_Security_Court_Security_Committees_Critical_to_Safety.aspx 3b4602ec-0206-4f0e-a80a-a1c4d48c9542 Mon, 21 May 2012 13:43:23 GMT The DC-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has begun accepting electronic filings via the judiciary’s Case Management-Electronic Case Files system, joining every other federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy court in doing so. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-17/All_Federal_Courts_Now_Accepting_Electronic_Filing.aspx 2d2e251b-175d-464d-97cc-5bb8f9886864 Thu, 17 May 2012 12:41:29 GMT A bill that would realign divisions in the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-16/Bill_Introduced_to_Realign_Divisions_in_Two_Judicial_Districts.aspx d986535a-19c4-4632-a7be-2c81eefee3bd Wed, 16 May 2012 18:31:32 GMT Congress has passed, and the President is expected to sign into law, legislation saving temporary bankruptcy judgeships that could have expired in 10 judicial districts. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-11/Congress_Extends_Temporary_Bankruptcy_Judgeships.aspx f733abdb-4c53-4faf-ae63-3e9f235e00f2 Fri, 11 May 2012 19:51:59 GMT The Constitution’s Sixth Amendment states that in all criminal prosecutions “the accused . . . have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” But what does that mean for defendants who are penniless? In federal courts, the answer is the federal defender program. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-11/Federal_Defenders_Face_of_the_Sixth_Amendment.aspx 3298ef14-55f1-4f76-a677-033dceab474d Fri, 11 May 2012 13:58:46 GMT Judge James R. Browning, a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for more than 50 years, died at age 93 on May 5. He served as his court’s chief judge for 12 years, and was Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court before his judicial appointment. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-08/Longtime_Judge_James_R_Browning_Dies.aspx e1bc5781-3ac3-44ba-a372-a99505114926 Tue, 08 May 2012 14:36:18 GMT Budget problems are affecting everyone in the federal judiciary, but chief probation officers across the nation are harnessing technology and imaginative teamwork to cope. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-03/Probation_Offices_Look_to_Technology_to_Offset_Budgets_Staffing_Reductions.aspx e2c188d6-292b-4bef-8486-7be55fa15d95 Thu, 03 May 2012 16:41:05 GMT May 1 is Law Day in the United States, a day to reflect on what the rule of law has meant to the development of our nation and the continuing role it plays. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-05-01/Law_Day_Promotes_the_Rule_of_Law.aspx 204bd99d-af76-4633-965d-64879182b88b Tue, 01 May 2012 13:44:42 GMT The number of persons not selected or challenged on the first day of their jury service in federal courts declined in 2011, meaning that U.S. district courts did a better job of juror utilization. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-04-26/Improved_Juror_Utilization_Achieved_by_Courts_in_2011.aspx d95d0c65-5678-4e96-b0a9-0bf2b75262dd Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:34:32 GMT The digital revolution is producing increasingly complex litigation and discovery issues in federal criminal cases. Most challenging for federal court practitioners are cases involving electronic discovery, also known as “electronically stored information” (ESI). http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-04-23/AO_Justice_Department_Jointly_Recommend_ESI_Discovery_Practices.aspx c921a641-5a90-4b78-8d87-1fb99b13f401 Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:18:22 GMT Fiscal year 2011 was the busiest ever for the federal judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, and this fiscal year continues that trend. In the first four months of FY 2012, the PACER Service Center responded to about 60,000 telephone calls and 15,000 emails. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-04-11/Busy_Time_for_PACER_Service_Center.aspx 91792d83-9649-4083-b3f3-1d5e79c6e7cc Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:23:45 GMT A new software application will give the federal court system’s probation and pretrial services officers much more information about their clients. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-03-21/Probation_and_Pretrial_Services_Tool_Puts_Clients_on_the_Map.aspx e2c778a0-2714-4154-9f41-4e66ee9f7e0c Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:24:22 GMT A recently published report focuses on programs, services, and materials federal courts have developed to assist “pro se” litigants – those who don’t have a lawyer’s help. The report also looks at what assistance exists for court staff in handling pro se cases. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-03-02/Report_Focus_Federal_Court_Services_for_Those_Without_A_Lawyer_s_Help.aspx 95dee4ea-5493-400d-98d9-de6fee8dccf6 Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:23:00 GMT U.S. District Judge George Singal of Maine was born in a World War II refugee camp after his family fled from eastern Poland. He explains that when presiding over naturalization ceremonies he invites new citizens to take advantage of their new opportunities. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-03-01/Federal_Judge_Knows_Advantages_of_U_S_Citizenship.aspx d8d0e557-f067-4391-86fc-1db4137b78a7 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:14:25 GMT As the federal judiciary began the requirements-gathering phase for the Next Generation successor of its Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system back in 2009, it decided to hear voices from outside the court system. http://www.uscourts.gov/news/newsView/12-02-29/CM_ECF_s_Next_Gen_Receives_Lots_of_Outside_Feedback.aspx 76c29e52-568e-43b8-ba72-119e8a9943b4 Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:54:03 GMT