Judiciary News

Federal judges are taking part in a monthlong celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, presiding over special naturalization ceremonies at sports stadiums and local landmarks, leading public readings of the Constitution, and conducting civics education conversations with students.

Track federal courthouse closures due to the effects of Hurricane Ian.

U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance, of the Eastern District of Louisiana, is the 2022 recipient of the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.

While meetings of judges to discuss policy are routine today, that first Judicial Conference was a unique milestone in the Judiciary’s history. Chief Justice William Howard Taft had a vision that federal judges could chart their own path as an efficient and independent branch of government. It would begin with judges working together on issues of common interest.

Fast forward 100 years; what Taft envisioned has evolved into the Judicial Conference of the United States, a body that is central to the modern federal Judiciary.

The federal Judiciary’s national policy-making body today agreed to administer regular workplace surveys to its employees and to extend flexibilities for remote public access to certain proceedings when the national emergency ends.

Federal judges are engaging with high school students in courtrooms and classrooms to heighten awareness of the importance of civil discourse and the role of the courts in daily life this Constitution Day.

Four new U.S. Supreme Court Fellows are set to begin their 2022-2023 fellowships in September. They are the first to experience the program in-person in nearly two years; the COVID-19 pandemic forced the 2020-2021 class to work virtually and led to a decision to pause the program the following year.

At court-sponsored institutes across the country, classroom teachers are hearing first-person experiences on topics ranging from judges’ perspectives on judicial independence in their decision-making, to lawyers’ insights into Constitutional tensions between the First Amendment and national security concerns.

Seven experienced lawyers of diverse backgrounds were formally sworn in to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey, during a recent special group investiture ceremony. 

A new installment of the Just the Facts series examines consumer bankruptcy filings from 2005 to 2021, and includes how bankruptcy filings changed during the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal and business bankruptcy filings took a sharp drop in the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2022, falling 17.7 percent compared with the previous year.

A new interactive timeline, created by the Federal Judicial Center, depicts the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of the Judicial Conference of the United States over the last century.

Federal probation and pretrial officers from across the country are gathering this week in Atlanta for a national conference on officer wellness, an issue that has gotten increasing attention in recent years, particularly after the protracted coronavirus pandemic raised stress levels for officers in the field.

The conference is being held July 19 to 21 during National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, which is honored annually during the third calendar week of July to recognize the public service of community corrections professionals.

Several new courthouses coming online as a result of a $948 million investment by Congress in recent years are getting an aesthetic touch thanks to the federal government’s Art in Architecture program.

Federal and state courts reported a combined 6 percent decrease in authorized wiretaps in 2021, compared with 2020, according to the Judiciary’s 2021 Wiretap Report. But arrests and convictions in cases involving electronic surveillance increased.