Chief Justice Names Conference Committee Chairs

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has named five new chairs of Judicial Conference committees and extended the term of four current chairs by one year. The appointments took effect on Oct. 1, 2021.

• Judge Amy J. St. Eve (Seventh Circuit) succeeded Judge John W. Lungstrum (Kansas) as chair of the Committee on the Budget.
• Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod (Fifth Circuit) succeeded Judge Ralph R. Erickson (Eighth Circuit) as chair of the Committee on Codes of Conduct.
• Judge Audrey G. Fleissig (Missouri-Eastern) was extended for one year as chair of the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management.
• Judge Michael Y. Scudder (Seventh Circuit) succeeded Judge Thomas M. Hardiman (Third Circuit) as chair of the Committee on Information Technology.
• Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis (New York-Eastern) was extended for one year as chair of the Committee on Intercircuit Assignments.
• Judge Sidney H. Stein (New York-Southern) was extended for one year as chair of the Committee on International Judicial Relations.
• Judge Richard J. Sullivan (Second Circuit) succeeded Judge David W. McKeague (Sixth Circuit) as chair of the Committee on Judicial Security.
• Judge Marcia Howard (Florida-Middle) succeeded Judge Nancy Freudenthal (Wyoming) as chair of the Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.
• Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Dow (Missouri-Western) was extended for one year as chair of the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules.

The 26-member Judicial Conference is the policy-making body for the federal court system. By statute, the Chief Justice of the United States serves as its presiding officer and its members are the chief judges of the 13 courts of appeals, a district judge from each of the 12 geographic circuits, and the chief judge of the Court of International Trade. The Conference meets twice a year to consider administrative and policy issues affecting the court system, and to make recommendations to Congress concerning legislation involving the Judicial Branch.