Judiciary News

Schools and courthouses may be closed because of the coronavirus, but judges and court system professionals are making virtual house calls to bring civics education to home-bound students in New Hampshire and Missouri and programs are underway in other states. The Second Circuit is providing robust online resources that teachers, parents, and others can use in the distance learning environment.

Bankruptcy filings fell by 1.1 percent for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2020, compared with the year ending March 31, 2019. According to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the March 2020 annual bankruptcy filings totaled 764,282, compared with 772,646 cases in the previous year.

The Judiciary has asked Congress for $36.6 million in supplemental funding, as well as several legislative reforms designed to help federal courts respond effectively to the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has distributed to the courts guidelines for restoring operations that rely heavily on conditions in local communities and on objective data from local and state public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new distance-learning video shows how rights activists from the Suffragist and Vietnam protest movements worked through the courts to seek social change.

From home offices and kitchen tables, federal judges are foregoing their traditional courtroom settings to continue some of their courts’ vital operations virtually amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Media organizations and the public will be able to access certain criminal proceedings conducted by videoconference or teleconference for the duration of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, according to new guidance provided to federal courts.

Two district courts in Florida have discovered stockpiles of urgently needed protective gear and donated them to local hospitals, prompting a call to federal courts across the country to search for surplus medical supplies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

In order to address health and safety concerns in federal courthouses and courtrooms, the Judicial Conference of the United States has temporarily approved the use of video and teleconferencing for certain criminal proceedings and access via teleconferencing for civil proceedings during the COVID-19 national emergency.

Dozens of federal courts have postponed jury trials, grand juries, and other court proceedings to safeguard the health of jurors, court employees, and the public, as COVID-19 cases grow in the U.S. To maintain quick and reliable communication with jurors, most of the 94 federal court districts use an automated messaging system that can send email alerts, phone calls, and text messages informing jurors of courthouse cancellations or changes in service. 

In communities forced to quarantine because of the coronavirus (COVID-19), social studies teachers are venturing into the distance learning space and parents are seeking ways to keep homebound teenagers constructively occupied. A series of U.S. Courts online civics resources can help fill this void, by stimulating critical thinking and thoughtful discussions.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today convened by teleconference today due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. 

In 2019, the Judiciary undertook several initiatives aimed at ensuring that the federal court system operates in an efficient, effective, and responsive way to maintain the trust and confidence of the public – a pillar of judicial independence. These initiatives, along with a detailed accounting of the work of the federal courts during 2019, are described in the Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), published on Tuesday.

Federal courts are individually coordinating with state and local health officials to obtain local information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), and some have issued orders relating to court business, and public and employee safety. 

Judges, federal defenders, prosecutors, and probation officers in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania have developed a program that draws on a wealth of community services to help ex-offenders rebuild their lives as they transition back into society.