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Judiciary News

Judge Chin's Immigrant Journey Recalled in 'Pathways to Bench' Video

December 11, 2012

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Denny Chin, a Chinese immigrant who grew up in a Hell's Kitchen tenement, is the subject of a newly released Pathways to the Bench video profile, the eighth in a video series in which federal judges talk about challenges that helped prepare them to serve justice.

Immigration Cases Continue to Surge, Says FY 2011 Commission Review

December 3, 2012

According to data released this month by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, immigration cases were the fastest growing segment of cases in the federal system for which an offender was sentenced in fiscal year 2011. Until fiscal year 2009, the most common federal crime had been drug-related.

Committee Targets Officer Stress

November 29, 2012

"Bring your body bags," was the message left by an offender on a probation officer’s cell phone. "I’ll kill you and your family," another offender wrote an officer from prison after his probation was revoked.

Court Insider: What is a Bankruptcy Appellate Panel?

November 26, 2012

A Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, or BAP, is authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 158 (b) to hear, with consent of all the parties, appeals from bankruptcy courts that otherwise would be heard by district courts, but only in those districts in which the district judges authorize appeals to BAPs.

Court Insider: New Defender Case Management System Debuts

November 20, 2012

All 80 federal defender organizations in districts across the country have begun using a new web-based system, defenderData, to manage their case information; schedule events, generate, edit, index and search case-related documents, and produce reports.

Lawyers Honor Court Education Program in St. Louis

November 16, 2012

A public education program housed in the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse has received the St. Louis Bar Foundation’s Spirit of Justice Award, for its excellence in teaching young audiences about the workings of the courts.

Virgin Islands Court Discovers Historic Danish Records

November 15, 2012
Entries date from 1767 to 1880, starting in Danish and ending in English.

A comprehensive review of case record assets at the District Court of the Virgin Islands uncovered historic documents dating back to 1767 — when Denmark still owned the islands and the American colonies had yet to declare their independence from Great Britain.

Apply to the Supreme Court Fellows Program

November 13, 2012
Photo courtesy: Franz Jantzen, Supreme Court

You have until November 30, 2012 to apply for one of the most unique Fellowships in the federal Judiciary. The Supreme Court Fellows Program offers the opportunity not only to learn about the issues facing the Judiciary—but to contribute to the work of the Supreme Court, Federal Judicial Center, Administrative Office of the United States Courts and United States Sentencing Commission.

As Veterans Day Nears, Video Honors Clerk Who Made General

November 9, 2012

Marcia Anderson is the bankruptcy clerk of court for the Western District of Wisconsin. She also is the nation's first female African American major general in the U.S. Army Reserve. Her story and how she balances these two very different worlds are the themes of a new "Serving Our Courts, Serving Our Country" video, released by the United States Courts to honor Veterans Day 2012.

Bankruptcy Filings Down in Fiscal Year 2012

November 7, 2012

Bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts for fiscal year 2012, the 12-month period ending September 30, 2012, totaled 1,261,140, down 14 percent from the 1,467,221 bankruptcy cases filed in FY 2011, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Court Honors Indiana Senators

November 6, 2012
Former Senator Evan Bayh (front row left) and Senator Richard Lugar (front row, second from right) met with the judges in Indianapolis.

Former Senator Evan Bayh and Senator Richard Lugar were recognized for their service to the federal Judiciary by the judges from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

Case Studies in Emergency Election Litigation

October 31, 2012

In addition to debates, rallies, and political ads, election season often includes litigation. The Federal Judicial Center (FJC) has published a collection of 80 case studies on emergency election litigation in federal courts.