Federal Courts

Barbed Wire Fence

How Federal Judges Contribute to Mass Incarceration and What They Can Do About It

by and

Vol. 99 No. 3 (2015) | Fixing Discovery

Talk of reforming federal sentencing law is much in the air. Increased public awareness of the fact that the United States is the world capital of mass incarceration has prompted […]

Read More »

Cartoon of judge juggling a copyright symbol, gun, oil rig, stethoscope, airplane, and gavel.

Judge of All Trades: Further Thoughts on Specialized Courts

by

Vol. 99 No. 3 (2015) | Fixing Discovery

The proverbial visitor from Mars (or perhaps from the habitable exoplanet Kepler-62f) with an interest in judicial systems would have no trouble perceiving that Earthlings follow two distinct philosophies about […]

Read More »

Railroad Tracks

New Rules, New Opportunities

by

Vol. 99 No. 3 (2015) | Fixing Discovery

In May of 2010, some 200 judges, lawyers, and academics gathered for two days at the Duke University Law School to evaluate the state of civil litigation in federal court. […]

Read More »

A Statutory Oddity

by

Vol. 105 No. 3 (2021) | Leaving Afghanistan

The Different and Sometimes Convoluted Ways that Congress Granted Circuit Court Trial Jurisdiction to the 19th-Century Federal District Courts Doing research for a book on the history of the federal […]

Read More »

Pilot Project for Discovery Protocols for Employment Cases Alleging Diverse Action

by and

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

In November 2015, the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) reported to the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules on a pilot project designed to streamline litigation by using pattern discovery […]

Read More »

Point Counterpoint

Jurors Asking Questions

by and

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

In some courtrooms, the practice of allowing jurors to pose questions to witnesses is gaining traction. Questioning witnesses allows jurors to clarify information and better understand the evidence and arguments […]

Read More »

Hands surrounding scales of justice

A Milestone for Diversity in MDL

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

Center for Judicial Studies events help pave way for first majority-female steering committee MDLs are where the action is, and the PSC is where the litigation decisions are made for […]

Read More »

Cover of "Judging Statutes"

Statutes — Clear or Confusing — What is a judge’s responsibility?

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

Second Circuit Judge Robert A. Katzmann brings his unique professional career, including his distinguished experience and expertise in legislature, in academia, and as a jurist, to his masterful new book, […]

Read More »

Illustration of characters in the imagined conversation.

The Decline in Federal Civil Trials: An Imagined Conversation

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

[The Scene] The first conversation takes place in the chambers of Federal District Judge Nielsen Prius. Prius enters chambers from the courtroom door behind his desk, doffs his black robe, […]

Read More »

Cut outs of people in the center of barbed wire

Easing Mandatory Minimums Will Not Be Enough

by

Vol. 100 No. 1 (2016) | 100 Years of Judicature

Congress is finally considering easing mandatory minimum penalties. However, this effort, even if successful, will need to be complemented by actions taken by the United States Sentencing Commission and federal […]

Read More »