News and Announcements

The COVID-19 emergency is no longer affecting the functioning of the federal courts, the Judicial Conference’s Executive Committee has found, setting in motion a 120-day grace period in which federal courts may continue to provide the same remote public audio access to civil and bankruptcy proceedings as they did during the emergency.

Bankruptcy filings rose slightly for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2023, but new bankruptcy cases remain sharply lower than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals can now pay tickets for minor federal violations more easily, using a redesigned website for the Judiciary’s Central Violations Bureau. The website, officially launching in early May, leverages new technologies and best design practices to improve usability and accessibility across devices, including smart phones.

In celebration of Law Day, federal judges are hosting programs in May and throughout the year to give students real-life experience with civil discourse and solid decision-making skills.

The public opening of the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse marked the conclusion of a decades-long effort to work with the General Services Administration (GSA) to secure funding to build a safer space for those visiting the federal court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

About 2,000 attorneys and law students spoke with federal judges during a recent symposium, which was simultaneously broadcast in 38 cities, about the many paths to becoming a bankruptcy or magistrate judge.

As summer approaches, middle and high school students can choose from catalogues of camps that promise to improve everything from language skills to layup shots. Federal court camps prepare participants to be informed and engaged citizens in every walk of life, and at no cost.

Clarence Earl Gideon, a Florida drifter who spent time in and out of prisons for nonviolent crimes, was an unlikely individual to help redefine a criminal defendant’s right to counsel 60 years ago in the Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. Public Defense Week and National Public Defender Day, which occur March 18, commemorate the landmark case and the vital work of public defense lawyers.

The Judiciary today reported on the progress made in 2022 in a number of critical areas of court operations, including improved safety and security of judges and staff, the courthouses where they work, and the IT systems relied on by the courts for day-to-day operations.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today agreed to recommend to Congress the creation of new district and court of appeals judgeships to meet workload demands in certain courts.