Judiciary News

Need to know the minute something happens on a court case? The Judiciary’s PACER system can update you on your computer, or any other electronic device, with automatic case notification.

A two-year effort to gather user input on the design of the Next Generation of CM/ECF has produced a number of suggested improvements.

This month, the Supreme Court’s female justices joined Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for a panel discussion in celebration of O'Connor's groundbreaking service. The event was the first time all four women justices have appeared together in public.

Fiscal year 2011 was the busiest ever for the federal judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, and this fiscal year continues that trend. In the first four months of FY 2012, the PACER Service Center responded to about 60,000 telephone calls and 15,000 emails.

The federal Judiciary today asked House appropriators to provide a 3.1 percent funding increase for fiscal year 2013—the lowest requested increase on record—at a time when courts already have cut staffing and implemented other sweeping cost containment measures.

Following on the heels of a cost containment summit convened last fall, the Judicial Conference of the United States today approved a series of money-saving initiatives in an effort to prepare for funding levels that will otherwise cause significant reductions in staff and court services.

Caseloads for fiscal year 2011 increased in district courts and in the probation and pretrial services system, while falling slightly in the appellate and bankruptcy courts.

A recently published report focuses on programs, services, and materials federal courts have developed to assist “pro se” litigants – those who don’t have a lawyer’s help. The report also looks at what assistance exists for court staff in handling pro se cases.

U.S. District Judge George Singal of Maine was born in a World War II refugee camp after his family fled from eastern Poland. In this video, he explains that when presiding over naturalization ceremonies he invites new citizens to take advantage of their new opportunities.

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.