Judiciary News

UPDATED: Most federal courts in states hit by Hurricane Sandy have reopened, but power failures continue to shut down four courts in Manhattan.

Courts throughout the east are bracing for Hurricane Sandy. Several have posted closure notices on their court Internet sites.

Judge Thomas F. Hogan, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, has received the prestigious Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.

Two federal courthouses in California—the James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco and the Spring Street Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles—have been designated national landmarks by the U.S. Determent of Interior.

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr, has named five new Judicial Conference committee chairs and extended the terms of three current committee chairs, effective October 1, 2012.

Who knew vampires were into social media? A student vampire club, calling themselves The Fangtastics, goes to court when high school administrators drive a stake through the heart of their online postings.

Four Fellows have been selected to participate in the 2012-2013 Supreme Court Fellows Program beginning this fall. The Fellows Program was created in 1973 by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, and offers, in the words of Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., "a unique opportunity for exceptional individuals to contribute to the administration of justice at the national level."

The Western District of Washington hosted a multi-district, multi-agency emergency preparedness summit this summer, bringing together representatives from the federal courts, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other government agencies.

A gavel changed hands in the Central District of California last week as the district welcomed its new chief judge.

By law, the Supreme Court of the United States starts its new term the first Monday in October -- a practice that has occurred for nearly 100 years.

A new federal courthouse was dedicated last month in downtown Billings, Montana. The District of Montana’s court family, guests, and invited speaker, Administrative Office Director Judge Thomas Hogan officially opened the courthouse, which replaces an aging facility with significant security and asbestos problems.

Congress has passed and the President is expected to sign into law, H.R. 5512, the Divisional Realignment Act of 2012. The legislation, introduced in May, realigns divisions in the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi.

Two programs organized each summer by the U.S. District Court for the District Massachusetts teach Boston area high school and college students about the federal judiciary. In the process, the students are helped to discover their own potential.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today agreed to close six non-resident federal court facilities—the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures implemented by the federal Judiciary’s national policy-making body.

On August 30, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania held a town hall in Pittsburgh, PA, introducing attorneys to a new pilot program aimed at expediting the relatively simple cases on the court’s civil docket.