News and Announcements

Growing numbers of federal courts, aided by legal associations, are using essay contests to inform and inspire young people about how the Constitution and courts protect personal liberties. 

Long before President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the federal bench, Judge Damon J. Keith was a fervent champion of equal justice under the law.

Bankruptcy filings in the 12-month period ending December 31, 2017, fell just 0.7 percent, compared with bankruptcy cases filed in calendar year 2016.

Despite a government shutdown, the federal Judiciary will remain open and can continue operations for approximately three weeks, through February 9, by using court fee balances and other funds not dependent on a new appropriation.

Federal courts share their stories of surviving an extreme hurricane season.

James C. Duff, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, has established a Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group to review the safeguards currently in place within the Judiciary to protect employees from inappropriate conduct in the workplace.   

The Western District Court of New York is one of the most congested courts in the country, receiving over 3,000 filings annually with individual judges’ caseloads at nearly 800. To reduce a long backlog of unresolved lawsuits, Chief Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr., revived a mediation strategy not used by the court since 1995: a settlement week.

Lawyers reflect on how the Judiciary’s defender training program gives them the confidence and know-how to provide indigent clients with a solid defense. 

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has issued his 2017 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.

The Federal Judicial Center, which has educated generations of federal judges and provided ground-breaking research on such topics as court technology and less costly ways to resolve disputes, celebrates its 50th anniversary on Dec. 20, 2017.