Judiciary News
First Revamped Bankruptcy Forms Out for Public Comment
Published onJanuary 8, 2013
The Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure is asking for comment on the first proposed modernization of bankruptcy forms in two decades.
Year-End Report on Judiciary Stresses Cost Containment
Published onDecember 31, 2012
Focusing on efforts by the federal courts to contain costs, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has issued his "2012 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary."
Lessons from Sandy: Game Plan Before a Crisis is Critical, Judge Says
Published onDecember 20, 2012
In late October and early November, courts in New York, New Jersey and other Eastern Seaboard states were shut down by Super Storm Sandy. This account, by Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska, describes the challenges faced by the Southern District of New York in putting its courts back in order.
‘Humbled’ Judge Hogan Receives Devitt Award, Warns of ‘Crossroads’ for Courts
Published onDecember 17, 2012
Pronouncing himself “humbled,” Judge Thomas F. Hogan, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, has received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, but he cautioned in remarks that America's federal judges are “nearing a crossroads.”
In New Video, Students Sound Off on Bill of Rights
Published onDecember 13, 2012
Celebrating Bill of Rights Day, students in a newly released two-minute video talk candidly about the rights and freedoms they value most and are guaranteed in this seminal document.
Judge Chin's Immigrant Journey Recalled in 'Pathways to Bench' Video
Published onDecember 11, 2012
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Denny Chin, a Chinese immigrant who grew up in a Hell's Kitchen tenement, is the subject of a newly released Pathways to the Bench video profile, the eighth in a video series in which federal judges talk about challenges that helped prepare them to serve justice.
As Electoral College Votes, a Little-Known Role for U.S. Courts
Published onDecember 6, 2012
Every four years, U.S. courts play a little-known role to help ensure that the Electoral College votes are received in Washington and properly counted.
Immigration Cases Continue to Surge, Says FY 2011 Commission Review
Published onDecember 3, 2012
According to data released this month by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, immigration cases were the fastest growing segment of cases in the federal system for which an offender was sentenced in fiscal year 2011. Until fiscal year 2009, the most common federal crime had been drug-related.
Committee Targets Officer Stress
Published onNovember 29, 2012
"Bring your body bags," was the message left by an offender on a probation officer’s cell phone. "I’ll kill you and your family," another offender wrote an officer from prison after his probation was revoked.
Court Insider: What is a Bankruptcy Appellate Panel?
Published onNovember 26, 2012
A Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, or BAP, is authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 158 (b) to hear, with consent of all the parties, appeals from bankruptcy courts that otherwise would be heard by district courts, but only in those districts in which the district judges authorize appeals to BAPs.
Court Insider: New Defender Case Management System Debuts
Published onNovember 20, 2012
All 80 federal defender organizations in districts across the country have begun using a new web-based system, defenderData, to manage their case information; schedule events, generate, edit, index and search case-related documents, and produce reports.
Lawyers Honor Court Education Program in St. Louis
Published onNovember 16, 2012
A public education program housed in the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse has received the St. Louis Bar Foundation’s Spirit of Justice Award, for its excellence in teaching young audiences about the workings of the courts.
Virgin Islands Court Discovers Historic Danish Records
Published onNovember 15, 2012
A comprehensive review of case record assets at the District Court of the Virgin Islands uncovered historic documents dating back to 1767 — when Denmark still owned the islands and the American colonies had yet to declare their independence from Great Britain.
Apply to the Supreme Court Fellows Program
Published onNovember 13, 2012
You have until November 30, 2012 to apply for one of the most unique Fellowships in the federal Judiciary. The Supreme Court Fellows Program offers the opportunity not only to learn about the issues facing the Judiciary—but to contribute to the work of the Supreme Court, Federal Judicial Center, Administrative Office of the United States Courts and United States Sentencing Commission.
As Veterans Day Nears, Video Honors Clerk Who Made General
Published onNovember 9, 2012
Marcia Anderson is the bankruptcy clerk of court for the Western District of Wisconsin. She also is the nation's first female African American major general in the U.S. Army Reserve. Her story and how she balances these two very different worlds are the themes of a new "Serving Our Courts, Serving Our Country" video, released by the United States Courts to honor Veterans Day 2012.