Judiciary News

Total bankruptcy filings rose 13 percent, and business bankruptcies rose nearly 30 percent, in the twelve-month period ending Sept. 30, 2023. This continues a moderate rebound after more than a decade of sharply dropping totals.

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

Chief Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga is still humbled by her appointment in 2003, becoming the first female Cuban American federal judge. In recognition ofHispanic Heritage Month, a new video profile explores Altonaga’s Cuban heritage, her pursuit of a career in law, and her family’s defection from Cuba.

More than 300 students in Memphis, Tennessee, participated in candid conversations about the Constitution with federal judges and attorneys as part of Civics Day.

Federal judges presided over naturalization ceremonies at major league ballparks, in a special observation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day that brought the courts into community settings.

The Judicial Conference of the United States on Tuesday approved a change to its broadcast policy that expands the public’s access to civil and bankruptcy proceedings over the Judiciary’s longstanding pre-COVID policy, which prohibited all remote public access to federal court proceedings.

After decades of very little change, technology and new business practices caused a “seismic shift” in federal appellate courts. Three longtime clerks of court recall the transformation they witnessed.

Four new U.S. Supreme Court Fellows will begin their 2023-2024 fellowships in September.

The Supreme Court Fellows Program, established by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1973, provides participants the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the federal Judiciary. Fellows work alongside top officials in the judicial branch on projects that further the goals of the Judiciary.

Judge José A. Cabranes, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, is the 2023 recipient of the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award. Cabranes will receive the award in a Sept. 26 ceremony at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Judicial Conference has expressed “deep concern” about pending congressional appropriations legislation, saying proposed funding levels that are far below the Judiciary’s request would have detrimental impacts on federal courts and the public.

Personal and business bankruptcy filings rose 10 percent in the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2023, compared with the previous year.

The first female Native American federal judge, Diane J. Humetewa is the subject of a new installment in the Pathways to the Bench video series in which judges talk about challenges they overcame on their way to service as a federal judge.

Probation and pretrial services officers collaborate with their community to help people under supervision fully reintegrate themselves into society. Highlighting how probation and pretrial offices and their community partners are stronger together is the goal of this year’s National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week.

In a new video, federal judges and public defense attorneys discuss the significance of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963).