Judiciary News
Judge Hogan Wins Devitt Award for Distinguished Service
Published onOctober 25, 2012
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.
California Courthouses Named National Landmarks
Published onOctober 24, 2012
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.
New Chairs for Five Judicial Conference Committees
Published onOctober 22, 2012
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.
Vampires Bite Back on First Amendment Rights
Published onOctober 17, 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.
Judicial Fellows Begin 2012-2013 Term
Published onOctober 11, 2012
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."
Emergency Preparedness Summit Shares Lessons Learned
Published onOctober 9, 2012
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.
Gavel Passes to New Chief Judge in the Central District of California
Published onOctober 4, 2012
A gavel changed hands in the Central District of California last week as the district welcomed its new chief judge.
New Term Starts at United States Supreme Court
Published onOctober 1, 2012
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.
Montana Courthouse Dedicated
Published onSeptember 27, 2012
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.
Legislation to Realign Divisions Passes Congress
Published onSeptember 25, 2012
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.
Fellowship Programs Help Students Grow
Published onSeptember 18, 2012
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.
Judiciary Continues Cost Savings, Closes Court Facilities
Published onSeptember 11, 2012
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.
Program Speeds Civil Litigation in Western District of Pennsylvania
Published onSeptember 6, 2012
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.
Federal Courts Improve Use of Jurors
Published onAugust 31, 2012
The federal courts continue to improve their juror utilization rates, which in turn has led to savings for the Judiciary of nearly $300,000.
2011 Report Details Consumer Bankruptcy Filings
Published onAugust 27, 2012
A 2011 statistical report on debtors with primarily consumer debt filing for bankruptcy shows an 11 percent drop in case filings, a 23 percent drop in filer assets, 25 percent drop in filer liabilities and a 28 percent incidence of repeat filers.