News and Announcements

As the federal judiciary began the requirements-gathering phase for the Next Generation successor of its Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system back in 2009, it decided to hear voices from outside the court system.

The Pretrial Services Act, which authorized federal judicial districts nationwide to establish pretrial services offices, will turn 30 in 2012.

Federal courts now provide automatic case notification through the use of RSS feeds, allowing the public to easily stay informed of newly docketed events.

The Federal Judicial Center’s Guide to Research in Federal Judicial History has been awarded the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Prize from the Society for History in the Federal Government.

Federal Judicial Center Director Jeremy Fogel said he is “committed to continuing the Center’s exemplary service to the judiciary” despite facing unprecedented fiscal challenges over the next few years.

Bankruptcy filings in the federal courts fell 11.5 percent in calendar year 2011. The number of bankruptcies filed in the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011, totaled 1,410,653 – down from 1,593,081 bankruptcies filed in 2010.

The Administrative Office, required by Congress to report on the number of applications for court orders authorizing or approving interception of electronic communications each year, has posted revised instructions for those who must file data for such reports.

Senior U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown, who regularly presided over cases well past his 104th birthday, died on January 23.

Most federal judges have taken steps to ensure that jurors do not use social media to discuss the trial in which they are involved, a recently published survey indicates.

The recently opened 10-story U.S. courthouse in Buffalo, N.Y., is home not only to the federal judiciary but also provides office space for the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney, and the General Services Administration.