News and Announcements

Federal courts have greatly improved their response to natural disasters in the last decade, according to a new U.S. Courts video, released in observance of National Preparedness Month. The video details lessons from four weather emergencies that shut down federal courthouses. 

The Judicial Conference of the United States today adopted amended rules for Judicial Conduct and Disability proceedings that provide for greater transparency and also approved an updated Strategic Plan for the Federal Judiciary.

Students will participate in naturalization ceremonies across the nation throughout September as part of a living civics lesson on citizenship. Federal courts are conducting more than 50 naturalization ceremonies in September to observe Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, which is officially celebrated on September 17.

The federal courts of appeal can help Congress make legislative intent as clear as possible through a project designed by the non-partisan Governance Institute and adopted by the Judicial Conference in 1995, on the recommendation of its Judicial Branch Committee.

An innovative U.S. courts program has students serving as federal judges in courtrooms to experience what it is like to make difficult sentencing decisions — involving their own peers.

Four Supreme Court Fellows have begun their 2015-2016 fellowships in the federal Judiciary. The Supreme Court Fellows Program was created in 1973 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger to provide individuals with a first-hand understanding of the federal government, in particular, the judicial branch.

When litigants come to federal court without a lawyer, they are at a disadvantage. Even if their case is strong, they can easily get lost in a maze of procedural rules and arcane terminology. A single error can doom their chances, long before a trial date is set. In the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, that is changing. Since late March, an innovative program has provided critical legal help to more than 150 low-income pro se litigants—people who must, usually for financial reasons, file or defend a civil lawsuit without a lawyer.

The tales of how two criminal offenders successfully returned to society after years in federal prison are at the heart of a new U.S. Courts video, in which a U.S. District judge, a federal probation services official and a probation officer based in Wisconsin discuss how courts help former offenders become law-abiding citizens.

A recent report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission looks at the relatively rare sentence of life imprisonment in the federal justice system.

The memories of three legendary federal judges, who overcame deep-seated southern resistance to end segregation for millions of African Americans, were honored recently when the courthouses named after them were declared national historic landmarks.