Memorial Honors Justice Byron R. White

A memorial ceremony honoring the late Justice Byron R. White was held by the Supreme Court Bar in the Upper Great Hall of the Supreme Court in November. As is traditional, Justice White’s portrait was displayed while former colleagues and law clerks recalled their history with White.	Judge David M. Ebel (10th Cir.), a former law clerk for Justice White, spoke at the memorial ceremony.
(Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States.)

Bankruptcy Filings Smash Records

Bankruptcy Filings for Fiscal Year 1992-2002

The number of bankruptcy filings in the federal courts in fiscal year 2002 broke records again, and with no new bankruptcy judgeships and funding frozen, the Judiciary is struggling to handle the caseload. Bankruptcy cases for FY 2002 totaled 1,547,669, up 7.7 percent from the 1,437,354 bankruptcy filings for FY 2001. More bankruptcies were filed in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2002 than at any time in history. The Judiciary’s fiscal year is the twelve-month period from October 1 through September 30.

The caseload of bankruptcy judges has increased 59 percent in the last decade. The average number of cases handled per bankruptcy judgeship has gone from 2,998 in 1992 to 4,777 in 2002. The Judiciary has requested new bankruptcy judgeships to handle the expanding workload, but none have been added to the federal bench since 1992. The Judiciary is handicapped further by the current continuing resolution. Until Congress passes the Judiciary’s FY 2003 appropriations bill, court units must function at rates of operation well below their staffing needs. No budget relief—or room to address the record growth in bankruptcy filings—can be considered until Congress returns in 2003.