Judiciary News

In 2019, the Judiciary undertook several initiatives aimed at ensuring that the federal court system operates in an efficient, effective, and responsive way to maintain the trust and confidence of the public – a pillar of judicial independence. These initiatives, along with a detailed accounting of the work of the federal courts during 2019, are described in the Annual Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), published on Tuesday.

Federal courts are individually coordinating with state and local health officials to obtain local information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), and some have issued orders relating to court business, and public and employee safety. 

Judges, federal defenders, prosecutors, and probation officers in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania have developed a program that draws on a wealth of community services to help ex-offenders rebuild their lives as they transition back into society.

Federal Judiciary officials have asked Congress for $7.8 billion in FY 2021 to fund judicial branch operations. The request includes funding to keep pace with increased criminal prosecutions, new judicial appointments, and the increased need for probation supervision of offenders released from prison.

From the late 1940s through the mid-1960s, Constance Baker Motley did as much as any American to end racial segregation. Yet her memory has receded outside the federal Judiciary, where she became the first African American woman judge. Here is her remarkable story.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., appointed Judge Claire V. Eagan of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma as the new chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference and appointed a new member to the committee. The new appointments were effective February 12, 2020.

Over the past 20 years, the overall number of intellectual property cases filed in the U.S. courts has increased dramatically. However, after sharp increases in the early 2010s, patent infringement case filings now have started to fall, copyright case filings have fluctuated, and trademark case filings have held steady. Most intellectual property cases are concentrated in a handful of states.

At more than two dozen institutes offered by courts across the country, school teachers work with federal judges, volunteer attorneys, legal scholars, and court staff to deepen their understanding of the Judiciary and ignite the interest of their students.

Bankruptcy filings increased slightly for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2019, compared with cases for the year ending Dec. 31, 2018, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. It was the second straight quarter that bankruptcy filings rose, after annual declines lasting nearly a decade.

High profile cases demand much more of jurors personally than other cases do. They can last for weeks or months, attract intense media attention, expose jurors to physical threats and emotional stress, and force them into long periods of isolation, with only their fellow jurors and court personnel for company.

For a criminal defendant with limited English proficiency, or who has a hearing impairment, a skilled courtroom interpreter is a vital part of the justice system. Like court-appointed attorneys, interpreters enable defendants to understand proceedings and assist in their own defense. The role of court interpreters is the theme of a newly released Knowledge Seminar video.

The loudest voices may prevail at a townhall meeting, at a demonstration, or in the stands at a football game, but in courtrooms, civility and rationality win the day even when the stakes – and the emotions – are high. Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions is a flagship program of the federal Judiciary’s outreach to students that equips them with legal and life skills needed to settle disputes successfully in a respectful way.

Twelve people from diverse backgrounds in the law, media, government, and academia have been selected for a new public user group to provide advice and feedback on ways to improve the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service and other electronic public access services provided by the Judiciary. The group is expected to hold its inaugural meeting in February.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has issued his 2019 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.

In a typical week, federal judges in Chicago naturalize hundreds of new American citizens at the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. Shortly before a recent ceremony, the court opened a special welcoming space to help youngsters share in their families’ dreams.