Judiciary News
Former Rep. Kastenmeier Leaves Lasting Impact on Federal Courts
Published onMarch 25, 2015
Representative Robert W. Kastenmeier “understood the federal courts like few others,” Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist said in 1992. “More importantly ... his involvement served an important national interest.” Kastenmeier, who spent more than two decades as chair of the House subcommittee that had jurisdiction over the federal courts, died March 20 at the age of 91.
How to Clear a Room: Bankruptcy Court Reduces Rent and Long-Term Storage Costs
Published onMarch 19, 2015
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York had a room filled with files. That’s not unusual. Even though today most cases are filed electronically, case records have a way of accumulating over the years. But in less than five months, with the end of the fiscal year, the court needed to clear the room. The files had to go.
Judiciary Approves Free Access to Judges’ Workload Reports; Courtroom Sharing for Magistrate Judges
Published onMarch 13, 2015
The Judicial Conference of the United States today voted to make a judge-specific workload report available for the first time over the Internet at no charge and also approved a courtroom sharing policy for magistrate judges in new courthouse and courtroom construction.
Successes Reported in Aggressive Space and Rent Reduction Initiative
Published onMarch 10, 2015
Federal courts have reduced the space they occupy and cut rent costs at facilities throughout the country, according to a report provided today to the Judicial Conference of the United States.
2014 Reports on Federal Courts Caseload and Activities Released
Published onMarch 10, 2015
Reports on the 2014 caseload of the federal courts and the activities of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts were released today.
Eastern Missouri Learning Center Reaches 4,000 Students, Adults
Published onMarch 5, 2015
More than 4,000 visitors—including school groups, law school students, Boy and Girl Scouts, judges and international dignitaries—visited the St. Louis-based Judicial Learning Center in 2014, according to a report on the center.
Women as 'Way Pavers' in the Federal Judiciary
Published onFebruary 26, 2015
It took nearly 140 years after the federal court system was established in 1789 before the first woman sat on a federal bench. Today, about one-third of all active Article III judges are women.
Improved Noticing for Debtors Reduces Court Costs
Published onFebruary 19, 2015
Thanks to a new program available through the Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC), debtors in participating courts now have the option of receiving court-generated notices and orders electronically. The new system saves both time and money.
Florida Representatives Take Oath at Miami Federal Courthouse
Published onFebruary 10, 2015
Earlier this month, Chief Judge K. Michael Moore (S.D. Fla.) administered the oath of office to four members of the South Florida Congressional delegation: Representatives Frederica Wilson of Florida’s 24th District, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida’s 25th District; Carlos Curbelo of Florida’s 26th District; and Lleana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida’s 27th District.
African American History Month: Six Judges' Journeys Recall Civil Rights Era
Published onFebruary 5, 2015
February is African American History Month, and video profiles of six African American federal judges offer a dramatic view of the changes experienced by individuals and a nation during the Civil Rights era.
Bankruptcy Filings Drop Nearly 13 Percent in Calendar Year 2014
Published onJanuary 28, 2015
During the 12-month period ending December 31, 2014, 936,795 cases were filed in federal bankruptcy courts, down from the 1,071,932 bankruptcy cases filed in calendar year 2013—a 12.6 percent drop in filings.
'Pathways' Video: Judge Nguyen Cites Lessons in Family's Flight from Vietnam
Published onJanuary 22, 2015
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, whose family fled to America from South Vietnam, is the subject of a newly released edition of Pathways to the Bench, a U.S. Courts video series in which federal judges talk about challenges that helped prepare them to serve justice.
Chief Judge Swears in Hawaii Congressman
Published onJanuary 21, 2015
Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway of the District of Hawaii administered the Oath of Office to Congressman Mark Takai of Hawaii on January 16, 2015, in front of nearly 400 well-wishers at the federal courthouse in Honolulu.
Court's Legacy Intertwined With Martin Luther King Jr.'s
Published onJanuary 15, 2015
As the nation celebrates Martin Luther King's birthday, a federal court in Alabama takes pride in its own contribution to civil rights.