Judiciary News
Judging an Injustice: During Asian Heritage Month, Japanese Internments Are Recalled
Published onMay 11, 2017
In the first months after Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Atsushi Wallace Tashima’s life wasn’t much different from that of other young Americans. Like others in his ethnically mixed Los Angeles neighborhood, Tashima’s family draped their windows at night, to protect against America’s new wartime enemies. But the Tashimas soon were branded, solely because of their ethnic heritage, as potential spies and saboteurs. By presidential order, 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were uprooted from their homes, and shipped off to internment camps.
Federal Courts Using Technology to Improve Juror Experience
Published onMay 5, 2017
In a concerted effort to make it easier for people to serve as jurors, the federal Judiciary is embracing technologies aimed at reducing wait times, paperwork, and trips to the courthouse.
Jury Service Close-Up Highlights Appreciation Week
Published onMay 2, 2017
The first week of May is Juror Appreciation Week. In observance of that event, two educational videos about federal jury service are available.
Policy Shifts Reduce Federal Prison Population
Published onApril 25, 2017
A decline in the number of federal prosecutions and in the severity of sentences for drug-related crime in recent years has resulted in a significant drop in the federal prison population, according to statistics from the Judiciary, the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Moments in History: The Wright Brothers’ Day in Federal Court
Published onApril 20, 2017
In 1903, the Wright Brothers’ made aviation history when they flew their airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They then made legal history in numerous federal patent lawsuits, raising fundamental questions about how far inventors can go in using patent law to ward off challengers.
New Report on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Issued
Published onApril 20, 2017
In calendar year 2016, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court denied 9 applications in full and 26 applications in part. Learn more about the 2016 Report of the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on Activities of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts.
March 2017 Bankruptcy Filings Down 4.7 Percent
Published onApril 19, 2017
Bankruptcy filings fell 4.7 percent for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2017, compared with the year ending March 31, 2016, according to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Judiciary Seeks Bankruptcy Judgeships, Warns of ‘Crisis’
Published onApril 7, 2017
Warning that federal bankruptcy courts face a “debilitating workload crisis” in Delaware and eight other districts, the U.S. Judicial Conference has urged Congress to authorize four new bankruptcy judgeships and convert 14 temporary judgeships into permanent positions.
Website Promotes Access to Judiciary Information
Published onApril 4, 2017
The history and workings of the U.S. court system can now be explored with a variety of easy-to-navigate and interactive tools available on the Federal Judicial Center’s revamped website. The site, which launched this week, is aimed at providing more information in engaging ways to judicial history buffs, academics and researchers, court personnel, and just about anyone with an interest in the Third Branch.
Probation and Pretrial Officers Train at State-of-the-Art Facility
Published onMarch 30, 2017
For its graduates, the Federal Probation and Pretrial Academy in Charleston, S.C., is often a life-changing experience. In this video, students and instructors discuss and also demonstrate the intensive new officer training that takes place at the academy, which covers everything from establishing meaningful relationships with defendants and offenders to responding to dangerous encounters.
Courts, Justice Department Join Forces to Collect Offenders’ Debts
Published onMarch 23, 2017
When a defendant is convicted of a crime in federal court, he or she owes many debts to society. In addition to likely prison time, offenders may be required to pay thousands of dollars in restitution, fines, and special assessments after sentencing.
AO Releases Annual Report and Court Statistics
Published onMarch 14, 2017
The year 2016 was a time of innovation and progress at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), the agency reported today in two releases detailing its activities and programs over the 12-month period.
Judicial Conference Asks Congress to Create New Judgeships
Published onMarch 14, 2017
The Judicial Conference of the United States today agreed to recommend to Congress the creation of 57 new Article III judgeships in the courts of appeals and district courts. If an omnibus judgeship bill is enacted into law, it would be first new comprehensive judgeship legislation to take effect in more than 26 years.
Judges Highlighted for Women’s History Month
Published onMarch 9, 2017
The stories of six federal judges, who overcame various obstacles on their paths to the bench, are highlighted as part of the U.S. courts’ observance of Women’s History Month.
An Inside Look at the Jury Experience
Published onMarch 2, 2017
The role of the jury in protecting the rights of Americans in criminal and civil cases is the focus of a U.S. Courts video discussion featuring two U.S. district judges, a clerk of court, and a law professor and author on the jury process.