Vol. 37, Number 2 —February 2005

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Where the Money Goes: A Look At How The Judiciary's FY 2005 Budget Is Divided
— "How does the Judiciary spread that funding across the courts of appeals and the district courts? And which programs and funding categories have first priority when that funding pie is divvied up?"

Courts Need Rental Relief
— "On behalf of the Judicial Conference, Administrative Office Director Leonidas Ralph Mecham has written to Stephen A. Perry, head of the General Services Administration, asking for a partial rent exemption for the federal courts... "

Need for DNA Testing Taxes Courts
— "While the database helps solve crimes, the number of DNA samples that now must be collected has left many federal probation offices struggling..."

Justice for All Act Guarantees Victims' Rights
— "In addition to provisions requiring DNA testing, P.L.108-405 includes a section on Crime Victims’ Rights, and articulates a list of rights guaranteed to victims of federal crimes..."

Cost of Federal Protective Services too High for Judiciary
— "Now, as part of the Judiciary’s cost-containment initiative, courts are being asked to curtail existing FPS services..."

Bills Introduced to Split Ninth Circuit
— "Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID) has stated that House leadership will hold up the creation of any new judgeships until the Ninth Circuit is split... — "

BIA Appeals Remain High in 2nd and 9th Circuits
— "In the last four years, administrative agency appeals filed in federal courts from challenges to the decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) have rocketed upward 515 percent... — "

Federal Judiciary Gives Educators a Look at Terrorism Cases
— "The federal Judiciary is helping high school educators teach their students how federal courts handle terrorism cases..."

New Fees in 2005
— "Fees for filing in federal district courts and for accessing court electronic records rose in the new year... "

Court Interpreters Feel Impact of Illegal Immigration Caseload
— "The number of times federal courts used court interpreters jumped more than 18 percent last year... "

Interview: Criminal Law Committee Analyzing Impact Of Booker
— "Judge Sim Lake was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in 1988. He was named chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law in 2003..."

Post-Booker, Sentencing Documentation Continues
— "In the wake of the Supreme Court’s opinion, United States v. Booker, U.S. Sentencing Commission chair Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa, and Judge Sim Lake, Chair of the Judicial Conference Criminal Law Committee, have written jointly to federal judges, clerks and chief probation officers, advising them of the importance of continuing to submit sentencing documents to the U.S. Sentencing Commission... "

Response to Booker Opinion Varies
— "Newspaper articles and editorials across the country have reported that the decision has created chaos, that rationality has finally entered the sentencing debate, that the sentencing guidelines now will work well, and that they won’t work at all... "

Maryland Students Join Naturalization Festivities
— "Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner presided as 45 applicants for citizenship representing 23 countries were sworn in as new citizens... "

Judicial Milestones

Judicial Boxscore