Judiciary News

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.

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.

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

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.

Federal Judiciary officials have asked Congress for $7.8 billion in FY 2021 to fund judicial branch operations. The request includes funding to keep pace with increased criminal prosecutions, new judicial appointments, and the increased need for probation supervision of offenders released from prison.

From the late 1940s through the mid-1960s, Constance Baker Motley did as much as any American to end racial segregation. Yet her memory has receded outside the federal Judiciary, where she became the first African American woman judge. Here is her remarkable story.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appointed Judge Claire V. Eagan of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma as the new chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference and appointed a new member to the committee. The new appointments were effective February 12, 2020.

Over the past 20 years, the overall number of intellectual property cases filed in the U.S. courts has increased dramatically. However, after sharp increases in the early 2010s, patent infringement case filings now have started to fall, copyright case filings have fluctuated, and trademark case filings have held steady. Most intellectual property cases are concentrated in a handful of states.

At more than two dozen institutes offered by courts across the country, school teachers work with federal judges, volunteer attorneys, legal scholars, and court staff to deepen their understanding of the Judiciary and ignite the interest of their students.