Court Administration

How an understanding court clerk saved lawyer with dementia from humiliation

The signs of a retired lawyer’s decline were subtle at first. Sometimes he was at a loss for words. His “dad jokes,” delivered as a volunteer at a Veterans Affairs medical center, started sounding rehearsed. His behavior changed.

Aug 22, 2024 11:36 AM CDT

Give Us a Break: Supreme Court’s summer hiatus interrupted by emergency docket cases

Updated: After a blockbuster and contentious term that spilled over into July, U.S. Supreme Court justices were no doubt eager for their summer recess to begin. But at a recent annual judicial conference, Justice Elena Kagan addressed the idea of the court’s summer recess, bemoaning a trend of recent years in which the press of emergency actions encroached on the justices’ relaxation.

Aug 22, 2024 10:34 AM CDT

Teen on field trip ends up in handcuffs and jail garb because judge didn’t want to be ‘played with’

A teenager sleeping during a field trip to a Detroit courtroom got a wake-up call from a judge Tuesday.

Aug 15, 2024 10:28 AM CDT

How is AI affecting courts and law practice? ABA task force report has answers

Do the Federal Rules of Evidence have to be changed to address issues created by artificial intelligence? That is one of several issues addressed by the ABA Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence in a report on AI’s impact on the practice of law released Monday.

Aug 8, 2024 9:38 AM CDT

Judge who socialized with police officers, used the F-word, agrees to removal from bench

A municipal court judge in New Jersey has agreed to permanent removal from office after admitting material facts in a misconduct complaint that accused him of using the F-word when frustrated with his computer and socializing with police officers.

Aug 1, 2024 9:27 AM CDT

Judiciary employees filed 17 complaints against federal judges over 3-year period, new report says

Judiciary employees filed 161 complaints alleging wrongful conduct over three fiscal years beginning in 2020, and 17 of those complaints concerned judges, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office released Tuesday.

Jul 31, 2024 11:17 AM CDT

Los Angeles County courts hit by ransomware attack

Monday is a court holiday in Los Angeles County’s 36 superior courts because of a shutdown of the computer network in response to a ransomware attack.

Jul 22, 2024 9:33 AM CDT

Supreme Court still reluctant to allow livestreaming of opinion announcements

Opinion announcements and oral dissents make for high drama at the court. The court has been livestreaming its arguments since May 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic at first led to telephone arguments, and then continuously since the justices returned to the courtroom in the fall of 2021. But it has never offered live or timely access to the audio of opinion announcements.

Jun 20, 2024 3:25 PM CDT

‘That’s it, take him!’ Lawyer handcuffed in courtroom hallway after judge’s alleged command

A hallway handcuffing of a Chicago lawyer has led to an ethics referral for a Chicago judge accused of ordering his ouster from her courtroom.

Jun 13, 2024 10:40 AM CDT

Court reporters are fighting back against generative AI

Emerging technologies have threatened court reporters since tape recorders became widely available. Yet they have withstood the challenges of advancing technology despite many courts replacing human court reporters with digital recording equipment. Now, an even more significant challenge presents itself: artificial intelligence.

Jun 1, 2024 2:40 AM CDT

When Trump criticizes judges online, calls for violence follow, analysis shows

Since March 1, at least 152 posts on three websites supportive of former President Donald Trump have called for violence against judges handling his high-profile cases, according to an analysis by Reuters.

May 15, 2024 1:41 PM CDT

Which judges are most likely to issue nationwide injunctions? Party of appointing president makes a difference

Fifty-nine out of the 64 nationwide injunctions blocking Trump administration policies were issued by judges appointed by Democratic presidents, according to a study in the Harvard Law Review.

Apr 12, 2024 9:25 AM CDT

SCOTUS justices must list value of gifted transportation, updated rules clarify

U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges must disclose the value of travel-related gifts, according to an update to financial disclosure regulations intended to “reflect past statutory changes more clearly,” according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Mar 19, 2024 10:18 AM CDT

U.S. courts clarify policy limiting ‘judge shopping’

Federal judiciary leaders on Friday released the text of a revised policy directing district courts to assign judges at random in civil cases that have statewide or national implications, making clear that the policy is a recommendation and that they cannot force district courts to follow it.

Mar 18, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Judge’s plan to decide traffic cases before hearing date ‘was not evil in nature,’ disciplinary court says

A Philadelphia municipal judge who ruled on 95 traffic citations one day before the hearing date violated just one ethics rule requiring diligent and competent performance of duties, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline has ruled.

Mar 13, 2024 9:56 AM CDT