News and Announcements

Judge Thomas F. Hogan, the first federal judge to head the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, faces new challenges daily – from finding adequate funding for the courts to defending the Judiciary’s independence.

An informal survey of district court clerks shows courts are taking steps to adjust to reduced funding levels. As resources are reduced, training programs, public outreach and IT services will all be negatively affected.

A Federal Judicial Center survey sent to almost 10,000 attorneys in civil cases asked if attorneys followed Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 26 (f), governing discovery, and participated in a Rule 16(b) scheduling conference with a judge or magistrate judge. The survey found that 73 percent of respondents reporting a Rule 26(f) meeting met for 30 minutes or less.

The President has signed the Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012, as Pub. L. No. 112-121. It extends 29 existing temporary judgeships for an additional five years. The bankruptcy judgeships in the bill were created or extended in 2005 as temporary judgeships.

Associate Justice John Paul Stevens received the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week. The Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

The Third Branch News online is the Judiciary’s new and official source for news.

Weeks before the NATO protests in Chicago, the Court Security Committee for the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse assessed security concerns and plans.

The DC-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has begun accepting electronic filings via the judiciary’s Case Management-Electronic Case Files system, joining every other federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy court in doing so.

A bill that would realign divisions in the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congress has passed legislation saving temporary bankruptcy judgeships that could have expired in 19 judicial districts.