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Judiciary News

In COVID-19, Judicial Conference Met Its Ultimate Challenge

December 22, 2022
Judge James K. Bredar in plastic facemask

When COVID-19 struck in early 2020, Chief Justice William Howard Taft’s vision of a Judiciary that could work in unison was put to perhaps its greatest test. For critical weeks and months, the Judiciary’s very ability to conduct proceedings was endangered. The Judicial Conference of the United States, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and judges and court staff across the country worked tirelessly to keep courts open and safe.

Congress Passes the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act

December 16, 2022
U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, New Jersey

The federal judge who lost her only child when a gunman opened fire at her home and the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) expressed gratitude today for the passage by Congress of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.

New Courthouse in N.C. Weds Past and Present

December 1, 2022
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. in a Virginia Revival Model courtroom.

A recently completed renovation and expansion of a federal courthouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, combines a modern annex with architectural touches that invoke a Virginia courtroom designed by Thomas Jefferson. The new court complex is one of eight funded by Congress in late 2015.

Facing Fiscal Crises, Judicial Conference Charted Steady Course

November 17, 2022

Over the last 25 years, the federal Judiciary has faced several fiscal emergencies, including sequestration and two government shutdowns. Each event illustrates how the Judicial Conference of the United States has transformed the way federal courts manage their finances.

New Americans Celebrated at Stadium Naturalization

November 14, 2022
New citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance on the football field before a Los Angeles Rams game.

Football fans cheered when a federal judge welcomed 16 immigrants from nine countries as new United States citizens, during a November 13 naturalization ceremony hosted before a Los Angeles Rams game.

Bankruptcy Filings Continue to Fall

October 31, 2022

Personal and business bankruptcy filings fell 11.7 percent for the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2022. Filings continued a fall that coincided with the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

AO Director Updates Congress on Progress in Case Management Technology Modernization

October 19, 2022

In a letter to key members of Congress on Wednesday, the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) detailed efforts underway to modernize the Judiciary’s electronic case management system, including replacing Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), the public interface for accessing court records.

9/11, Weather Disasters Spurred Courts to Stay Open in All Crises

October 12, 2022
The Pentagon building in D.C.

September 11, was the first of several national emergencies that have challenged the Judicial Conference in the last 25 years. Although the immediate result was confusion, the terrorist attack had a profound and lasting impact on how the Judiciary operates today.

Judge Cathy Bissoon Never Let Circumstances Limit Her

October 4, 2022

U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon grew up in an impoverished New York City neighborhood in the 1970s, believing in the American Dream. Her parents, immigrants of Hispanic and East Indian descent, instilled in her the value of hard work and perseverance.