News and Announcements

Arthur Votolato is a record-setter. He was the first bankruptcy judge to sit in Rhode Island, and for 44 years, he was the only U.S. bankruptcy judge to serve the state. He also enjoyed the distinction of being the longest continuously serving active bankruptcy judge in U.S. history.

A year after the federal Judiciary began its cameras in the courtroom pilot program in 14 federal trial courts, 39 court proceedings are available online for public viewing on the Judiciary’s website. The video recordings and brief summaries of the cases are organized by court, subject matter, and procedural posture. The posted videos have been viewed over 28,000 times since the pilot began in July 2011.

Independence Day is a fitting date to take the oath of U.S. citizenship and many courts across the country hold naturalization ceremonies. And what says America more than a naturalization ceremony held on a famous aircraft carrier, or on the steps of an historic Town Hall.

The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) begins accepting, processing and securely disposing of returned mail, saving the Judiciary over a million dollars.

A change in national policy will limit supervision of low-risk offenders in the federal system, redistributing scarce resources to supervise high-risk offenders.

Over the last few weeks, municipalities have declared bankruptcy. Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code provides for reorganization of municipalities, which includes cities and towns, as well as villages, counties, taxing districts, municipal utilities, and school districts.

The potential trauma of high profile trials, the ubiquity of social media, tactics for reaching the plugged-in generation, and tips for maximizing jurors called for service in federal courts highlighted a recent workshop for court staff.

Fees for filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case will increase for cases filed on or after November 21, 2012. The fee increase was included in the Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-121) which was signed into law by the President on May 25, 2012.

Judge Frank Whitney joined the United States Army Reserve right out of college. When he was appointed a federal judge for the Western District of North Carolina, he continued to serve his country in the military. Last year the two jobs merged.

Federal and state applications for orders authorizing or approving wiretaps dropped 14 percent in 2011, with 85 percent of all applications citing illegal drugs as the offense under investigation.