Judiciary News

Throughout May, federal courts brought students together under the umbrella of this year's Law Day theme, "Realizing the Dream: Equality for All."

Seeking to contain costs and improve efficiency, federal courts are developing plans to voluntarily share administrative services, as explained in a Third Branch News story and Judiciary Now video.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has requested $72.9 million in emergency funding, saying that a supplemental appropriation is needed to "address critical needs resulting from sequestration cuts."

A Judiciary initiative is rewarding courts for reducing their space needs, which will save on future space rental costs. One of the Judiciary's biggest cost-containment successes to date has been in limiting the growth in space rent costs.

Defendants charged with immigration offenses constitute 27 percent of all federal criminal defendant filings nationwide, a total of 25,328 filings in fiscal year 2012.

The 6th edition (pdf) of the Benchbook for U.S. District Court Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center, is now available online. The book, last updated in 2007, is a concise and practical guide to situations federal judges are likely to encounter on the bench. The Benchbook covers procedures that are required by statute, rule or case law, with detailed guidance from experienced trial judges.

Bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2013, fell 14.4 percent when compared to bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2012, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

"When you confront something that you, initially, perceive as an adversity—that's what builds character. That's your glorious moment," according to U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson, who presides in Montgomery, Ala.

Statement of Chief Judge William B. Traxler, Jr., Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

It was a convergence of history at a recent District of Kansas’ naturalization ceremony. During the 150th anniversary year of the Emancipation Proclamation, standing in the former Monroe Elementary School at the heart of Brown v. Board of Education, the first African American woman to sit on the federal trial bench in Kansas administered the oath of allegiance to a group completing the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

Federal bankruptcy courts will institute a new $25 fee for filing evidence of claims transfers, transactions in which bankruptcy claims are sold by one creditor to another, usually as part of a speculative investment. The fee, approved last September by the Judicial Conference of the United States...

As Judiciary leaders cautioned House appropriators about sequestration’s long-term effects, threatened courthouse closures and employee furloughs are becoming a reality.

A photography exhibit, at the U.S. Federal courthouse in Brooklyn showcases the work of four artists who also are members of the Eastern District of New York court community. Appropriately titled, "After Hours," photos in the exhibit reflect the photographers’ interests outside of the court.