Judiciary News

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.

One year after the Tucson shooting that killed six people and wounded 13, federal judges in Arizona honored the late Chief Judge John M. Roll, who was among victims slain while attending a constituent gathering sponsored by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today adopted a national policy that encourages federal courts to limit those instances in which they seal entire civil case files.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today received a report on the potentially dire consequences the federal Judiciary may face if a Fiscal Year 2011 funding measure is not soon adopted.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today approved a pilot project to evaluate the effect of cameras in federal district courtrooms and the public release of digital video recordings of some civil proceedings.

Submitting the smallest funding increase requested in more than 20 years, representatives of the federal Judiciary today asked a House subcommittee to adequately fund the courts in the coming year so they can cope with anticipated increases in case filings.

The Judicial Conference of the United States today voted to make a judge-specific workload report available for the first time over the Internet at no charge and also approved a courtroom sharing policy for magistrate judges in new courthouse and courtroom construction.