Biennial Questionnaire Asks Judges to Name Preferences

The 1999 biennial Judicial Conference Committee Appointments Questionnaire will be mailed shortly to all federal judges, who will have an opportunity to make known their current preferences for appointment to one of the 24 Judicial Conference committees. Since September 1987, these biennial questionnaires have been used to create a new database every two years reflecting the interests of judges in serving on Conference committees. "Knowing where judges want to serve and that they are available for an appointment makes our job much easier," said AO Director Leonidas Ralph Mecham, who assists the Chief Justice in filling vacancies.

The Judicial Conference, the Judiciary’s policy-making body, depends on its committees to study and develop recommendations on substantive issues affecting the administration of the federal courts. Committee service provides judges an opportunity to play a key role in this process. "Judges who have not been appointed, despite having completed questionnaires in the past, should not be discour-aged," said Mecham. "This data- base is referenced over and again during the two-year period between surveys to identify judges to fill unexpected committee vacancies and vacancies on other entities for which the Chief Justice is the appointing authority (such as the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation), or to serve on an occasional special or ad hoc committee. According to those who have served in the past, the opportunity to serve is worth the wait."

Committee appointments rotate on October 1st each year, and terms are usually three years in duration, with one reappointment possible. Appointments and reappointments depend upon, among other things, judges being current in their judicial work. The Chief Justice retains all appointment authority and exer- cises full discretion in determining who will serve and for how long.