Judiciary News

Two pilot programs – one that will allow pro se prisoners to file certain federal court documents electronically from a kiosk in a prison and a second that will provide judicial assistance to select district courts with unusually high civil caseloads – were approved today by the Judicial Conference at its biannual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Four new Supreme Court Fellows will begin their 2016-2017 fellowships in August.

Proposed updates of the rule governing class-action lawsuits, and a proposal to mandate electronic filings by lawyers, highlight a broad array of proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Practice and Procedure. 

Citizen naturalization ceremonies are among the happiest and most inspirational events that take place in federal courtrooms, and now the Middle District of Alabama has found a way to make sure that the children of immigrants don’t miss out on a cherished rite of passage.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Newman, of the Southern District of Ohio, takes over in September as the new president of the Federal Bar Association, comprised of federal legal practitioners and judges.

Bankruptcy filings fell 6.9 percent for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2016, compared with the year ending June 30, 2015, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

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.