News release: “In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2009, there were 1,306,315 bankruptcy cases filed, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. That is a 35 percent increase compared to filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008, when cases totaled 967,831.” Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Courts
WSJ: Justice O'Connor's Many Activities
WSJ: Justice O’Connor’s continuing judicial work [as a substitute judge, Justice O’Connor has heard nearly 80 cases and written more than a dozen opinions] comes in addition to many other activities, from ceremonial functions — such as serving as grand marshal of the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif., and as chancellor of the College of… Continue Reading
Justice Sonia Sotomayor – First Hispanic, Third Woman on Supreme Court
New York Times: “Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath on Aug. 8, 2009, becoming the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court in United States history.” Milestones: Sonia Sotomayor – An interactive timeline of Sonia Sotomayors life and career. Related postings on Justice Sonia Sotomayor Continue Reading
Retiring Justice Souter's New More Commodious Home to House Extensive Book Collection
As reported in the Concorde Monitor (New Hampshire), Justice Souter’s longtime neighbor said “Souter told him one of the reasons he decided to move was because his Weare house wasn’t structurally sound enough to hold the thousands of books that make up his library.” Continue Reading
FindLaw: Judges Order California to Reduce State Prisoner Population
Joel Zand, FindLaw: “A panel of three federal judges ordered the State of California to reduce its inmate population because of prison overcrowding, resulting in the release of approximately 43,000 prisoners during the next two years so that the state’s prisons can operate at 137.5% of their design capacity. In a 184-page opinion, the panel… Continue Reading
PACER Subscriptions Hit One Million
“The federal Judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system has reached the one million mark in number of subscribers who have registered since 1991. The system allows users to obtain federal court case and docket information via the Internet.” Continue Reading
Mandatory Minimums: A Statistical Overview
Overview of Statutory Mandatory Minimum Sentencing: “The Commission has identified at least 171 individual mandatory minimum provisions currently in the federal criminal statutes. In the Commissions fiscal year 2008 datafile, there were 31,239 counts of conviction that carried a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment.3 Because an offender may be sentenced for multiple counts of conviction… Continue Reading
TRAC: Immigration Prosecutions for April 2009
“Very timely Justice Department data obtained and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) show that immigration enforcement under the Obama Administration is returning to the unusually high levels that were reached under President Bush. The clearest sign of the administration’s current immigration enforcement policy emerged from the monthly growth in such prosecutions —… Continue Reading
The Nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Follow up to previous postings on US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, from today’s Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing: Witness Testimony – Judge Sonia Sotomayor Member Statements NPR – Sotomayor: ‘Fidelity To The Law’ Guides Me Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings (1971 – forward) Continue Reading
Brennan Center for Justice: Language Access in State Courts
Brennan Center for Justice: Language Access in State Courts, Laura Abel “Nearly 25 million people in this country have limited proficiency in English (LEP), meaning that they cannot protect their rights in court without the assistance of an interpreter. At least 13 million of those people live in states that do not require their courts… Continue Reading
Guide to the Preservation of Federal Judges' Papers
A Guide to the Preservation of Federal Judges Papers, Second Edition, Federal Judicial History Office, Federal Judicial Center 2009 “The preservation of a judges chambers papers and other personal records establishes a foundation for historical studies that document the role of the federal judiciary in American life. The personal papers of a judge offer a… Continue Reading
Records Pertaining to Judge Sonia Sotomayor Release Via National Archives
“The National Archives Office of Records Services, the William J. Clinton Library, and the George Bush Library released records relating to Judge Sonia Sotomayor.” Continue Reading
