Activities of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts... Annual Report of the Director... 1998

55 Pages·1998·14.8 MB·English

by  United States Judiciary

ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
OF THE U.S. COURTS
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
Leonidas Ralph Mecham
1998
This report was produced by
Office of Public Affairs
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building
Washington, D.C. 20544
Phone: [phone]
EN 2
ITD =scncsnnsnneseetiontenmmnmpeneminananemmmnnnmemnnnenees 6
IED scnnconmnamsenmnmmaneinnimmmnnsene 7
Support to the Judicial Conference, Judges, and Courts........... 13
in Profile: The Administrative Office ...................cccccccccsseecssseresreeeeees 46
1998 Annuat Report of THE Director 1
( ( 10)
Henna ae)
Chany ¢ ( by 1¢
Gan ae 2 aea | Q)]
\Vdnnyy WsSteat ( tt
| {yt hJenyt t¢
(yf It) ek thou
Ove
Vay (
| htt
WLP ora)
he success of the Administrative court criminal filings registered a
To can be measured by its double-digit increase for the first time in
ability to prepare and adequately 26 years. Each quarter there is a new
equip judges and court staff to carry out record level of bankruptcy filings. Re-
their responsibilities. Our job is to an- grettably, another constant has been the
ticipate needs, remove obstacles, and number of judges available to tackle the
solve problems before they occur. workload. No new Article III judgeships
When judges requested a secure have been created since 1990 and no
network to electronically share drafts of new bankruptcy judgeships since 1992.
opinions, we created one. When the Ex- This focuses the spotlight on the Ad-
ecutive Branch failed to provide funds ministrative Office to develop creative
for new courthouses, the Administrative and efficient approaches to work, which
Office successfully helped take the case will help judges to cope with the record
directly to Congress. When judges ex- demands they are facing.
pressed concerns about insufficient ben- An important facet of this respon-
efits, a high-level benefits initiative team sibility is the ability to effectively com-
was established to study this issue for municate to a Judiciary that is spread
the entire judicial branch. across the country and has a wide vari-
In 1998 the Administrative Office ety of needs. While there are obvious ad-
completed system-wide projects that vantages to standardization, local court
have been in progress for years, practices often demand specially tai-
launched new studies, conducted valu- lored responses. The Administrative Of-
able training, and developed new ways fice has a responsibility to share local
to measure and evaluate resource needs. successes and failures with the appro-
Every year it seems that we are doing priate interested persons throughout the
more. We are doing it quicker. And, I be- judicial branch. I believe we have in
lieve, we are doing it better. place the communications infrastructure
As was the case when it was cre- to do this.
ated in 1939, the Administrative Office In my 13 2-year tenure as Direc-
continues to provide administrative sup- tor, mail has been replaced by fax,
port, program management, and policy which in turn has been replaced by e-
development assistance to federal courts mail as the primary method of commu-
nationwide. However, over the years, the nicating crucial timely information to
changing environment both inside and the courts. For 30 years, The Third
outside the Judiciary has required the Branch has been a key Judiciary com-
Administrative Office to maintain a munications tool. This year it has been
flexible approach to its work. When a joined by the Federal Judicial Television
judge or court asks for help, we need to Network (FJTN).
be available. In 1998 the FJTN provided timely
A rare constant has been upward and useful training and information to
spiraling caseloads. In 1998, district judges and courts nationwide. When
1998 Annuat Report of THE Director 3
ers. The DCN connects ap
proximately 700 court sites na
tionwide and enables users to
do everything from draft and
produce court opinions to share
Judicial Conference committee
policy recommendations. The
DCN also provides the framework
for the J-Net, which already has
brought significant efficiencies and
cost savings to Judiciary operations.
Essential manuals and guides today
not only are found on courthouse
bookshelves, but also have been
placed on the J-Net, where they can
be updated easily and searched by
users.
Administrative Office as-
sessments indicate that judges al.
ready are beginning to witness the
the new benefits of many of the innovative
Boston courthouse options they are offered, particularly
opened, the FJTN was there to in the technological arena. Court-
give viewers a guided tour. When the room technologies such as video evi-
government switched to a new credit dence presentation, videoconferencing,
card carrier, Judiciary employees re- electronic court reporting, and electronic
ceived a prompt and valuable orienta- case files have been found to improve
tion through the FJTN. With nearly 200 case management, reduce trial time and
courthouse satellite installations by the litigation costs, and improve fact-find-
Administrative Office complete and ing, jury understanding, and access to
more expected, the FJTN soon will be court proceedings. The Administrative
one of the largest civilian federal broad- Office will continue to stress the devel-
cast networks, second only to the Social opment of innovative and versatile ap-
Security Administration. proaches to court operations.
Another vital communications The Judiciary 's responsibility to
link — the Data Communications Net- spend taxpayer dollars constructively
work (DCN) — was completed this and wisely plays a role in daily Adminis-
year bringing to a close an effort begun trative Office activities. At the same
in 1991 to provide judges and court em- time, we strive to make operations and
ployees a secure and efficient way to processes as simple as possible. Ia m
communicate via their desktop comput- pleased that two programs were recog-
ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OrFice of THE U.S. Courts
nized with national awards this past their adoption. Judicial Conference sup-
year. The General Services Administra port has and always will be an essential
tion singled out the Administrative Administrative Office function. Just as
Office's long-range facility planning certain is our commitment to equitable
process for receipt of a best practices compensation for judges and adequate
award and the agency s alternative ap- funding for Judiciary operations and
proach for ordering furniture was recog programs, including courthouse
nized with the National Performance projects.
Review s Hammer Award. Numerous While I am extremely proud of the
Administrative Office programs demon- Administrative Office and its accom-
strate similar commitments to innova- plishments, I fully recognize that there is
tion and cost consciousness. The Jury much more to accomplish. As we near
Modernization Project, which currently the close of the millennium, now more
is being tested, should reduce the cost of than ever the Judiciary can rely on the
jury selection, management, and track- Administrative Office for its prudent
ing. The already successful Bankruptcy stewardship of funds, thoughtful and
Noticing Center expanded its opera: novel alternatives to daily operations.
tions this year and processed and mailed and skillful and efficient approaches to
approximately 70 million notices. An in- management. On behalf of the Adminis-
sightful report on federal death penalty trative Office, I can assure judges and
costs was conducted and submitted to court staff that we are committed to do-
Congress. A strong and active manage. ing this —-a nd much more — in 1999.
ment council has adopted a comprehen-
sive approach to addressing what is
known as the Y2K or year 2000 prob-
lem.
Whether we are developing a
streamlined advisory group system or
implementing a new work measurement
initiative, the Administrative Office re-
mains steadfastly mindful that our man-
date is to serve the Judiciary. While the
type and form of service has varied over
the years, one constant of Administra-
tive Office operations has been support
to the Judicial Conference and its com-
mittees. This work entails much more
than planning biannual meetings. Un-
der the direction of judges, staff conduct
studies, prepare drafts, and dutifully
implement Conference policies following
1998 ANnnuat Report of THE Director
NCIC employees take
pride in them many
mportant
responsibilities, which
include supporting the
ludictal Conference of
the United States and
IS COM AMItlees helping
Obtain neces ary
PECSOLERC ¢ from
Oy eas res Wid hOQO IN)
TV rOousTY for 1\
morove the uralit
f aay
LK, fon. re
‘\
dministrative Office managers policies as they pertain to bills affecting
and staff work closely with the organization and operation of fed-
judges and court employees na- eral courts, appropriations, courthouse
tionwide to provide a seamless web of construction and maintenance, and any
administrative support to ensure that other amendments offered to recent leg-
the federal court system runs smoothly. islation. They prepare draft testimony,
Agency employees take pride in their coordinate responses to inquiries from
many important responsibilities, which Congress, and meet regularly with
include supporting the Judicial Confer- House and Senate members and staff on
ence of the United States and its com- issues of importance to the Judiciary.
mittees, helping obtain necessary re- An important facet of the legisla-
sources from Congress, and looking tive program is communicating the
continuously for ways to improve the Judiciary s budget needs. In support of
quality of services, manage better, and the Judicial Conference Committee on
economize. the Budget, chaired by Judge John G.
As federal courts face record lev- Heyburn II, agency staff provide daily
els of work, Administrative Office staff liaison with House and Senate appro-
stand ready to use the latest technology, priations committee staff.
assist in developing innovative case-pro-
cessing measures, and provide whatever
egislative Activity
other guidance and support are neces-
sary so that judges and court employees The second session of the 105th
can continue to discharge their duties ef- Congress included activity on a wide
fectively and efficiently. range of issues important to the Judi-
This report on Administrative Of- ciary. Congressional oversight hearings
fice activities during 1998 describes the
continued to focus on judicial resources
progress and results of the agency s ef-
and so-called judicial activism.
forts. The chairs of 10 Judicial Confer-
ence committees testified before con-
gressional committees in 1998. Confer-
ence representatives advocated the pas-
Congressional sage of bills containing recommenda-
tions of the Conference, but also ex-
Relations
plained why the Conference opposes
legislation that could adversely affect
Administrative Office staff sup- the Judiciary.
port the Judicial Conference and its
committees by identifying and monitor- FUNDING FOR COURTHOUSES
ing legislation that could have an impact APPROVED BY CONGRESS
© For fiscal year 1999, the Judiciary
on the federal Judiciary. They assist in
proposed 14 new courthouse construc-
the articulation of Judicial Conference
1998 ANNUAL Report oF THE Director
Administrative
Office staff
support the
Judicial
Conference and
its committees by
identifying and
monitoring
legislation that
could have an
impact on the
federal Judiciary.
tion projects, totaling $507 million. The Lamar Davis also ‘estified, and Judge
Administration, however, failed for the John Gibson submitted written state-
second year in a row to include money ments on behalf of the Judicial Confer-
for new courthouses in its budget re- ence Committee on Security and Facili-
quest to Congress. The budget did in- ties to the House and Senate appropria-
clude $25 million for repair and alter- tions committees. Chief Justice William
ation projects. Despite opposition from H. Rehnquist, Director Mecham, and
the Administration, the Judiciary was judges with proposed courthouses all
successful in obtaining funding for communicated the need for new court-
courthouse construction. Judge Norman house funding to Congress. Finally,
H. Stahl, Chairman oft he Judicial Con- judges and Administrative Office staff
ference Committee on Security and Fa- hosted congressional staff on visits to
cilities, and Director Mecham met early several of the courthouses. Congress
in the year with congressional leaders, agreed that it was important to continue
and Judge Stahl testified three times be- funding the courthouse construction
§ fore the House and Senate authorizing program and ultimateiy approved fund-
committees to explain the importance of ing for all of the proposed new court-
resuming courthouse funding. Judges houses, except for one in Savannah,
Michael Ponsor, Avant Edenfield, and Georgia, which was deferred for further
Activities oF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OrFice of THE U.S. Courts