News and Announcements

Two high school students were honored as winners in the 2016 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, which focused on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1966 decision in Miranda v. Arizona.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. has appointed U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro of New Hampshire to serve as chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Also new to the Executive Committee is U.S. District Judge Robert James Conrad, Jr. of the Western District of North Carolina. 

The federal Judiciary uses a wide array of initiatives—including advanced technology, cost reduction and aggressive auditing—to deliver justice efficiently, while enhancing   public access to and knowledge of the courts, according to testimony delivered July 6 to a House Judiciary subcommittee.

The number of federal and state wiretaps terminated in 2015 increased nearly 17 percent over 2014, according to an annual report submitted to Congress by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

June is LGBT Pride Month, which commemorates the accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and the civil rights gains the community has made since 1969, the year that the Stonewall riots in New York City proved to be a tipping point for the LGBT movement in the United States.

Four retired magistrate judges, who collectively served the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut more than 100 years, were celebrated in a ceremony unveiling their portraits. 

A special committee conducting a comprehensive review of the nation’s federal system of indigent defense has wrapped up a series of seven hearings around the country. The sessions featured more than 100 hours of public testimony from federal defenders, panel attorneys, judges, prosecutors, advocacy groups and academics.

Students across the country participated in federal Judiciary celebrations of Law Day, engaging  in courtroom simulations that focused on the 50th anniversary of Miranda v. Arizona, texting while driving and the forced internment of Americans during wartime. 

The role of federal Courts of Appeals in protecting the rights of Americans in criminal and civil cases is the focus of a U.S. Courts educational video featuring two appellate judges, and court staff.

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, and video profiles of three U.S. judges, two of whom are naturalized American citizens, show how their diverse experiences prepared them for careers on the federal bench.