Director's Annual Report 2000

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Leonidas Ralph Mecham

Administrative Office of the U.S. CourtsAdministrative Office of the U.S. Courts

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A D M I N I S T R A T I V E O F F I C E O F T H E U. S . C O U R T S

CONTENTSADMINISTRATIVE OFFICEOF THE U.S. COURTS

2000 Report of the Director

Leonidas Ralph Mecham

Produced by

Office of Public Affairs

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building

Washington, D.C. 20544

Phone: (202) 502-2600

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CONTENTSCONTENTSDIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ............................................................................................. 1

THE YEAR 2000: Achievements and Challenges ....................................................... 5

Congressional Relations .................................................................................... 5

Program and Management Assistance ........................................................... 11

Strategic Studies ............................................................................................... 15

Communications .............................................................................................. 17

Training ........................................................................................................... 19

Benefits and Human Resources Management ................................................ 20

Information Technology .................................................................................. 21

IN PROFILE: The Administrative Office .................................................................. 25

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D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G EThe uncertainty that plagued

the other two branches of govern-

ment and the public much of the

year impacted Judiciary operations

as well. The prolonged battle over

control of the political branches

meant that the Judiciary’s needs–

from new judgeships to funding–

were at times relegated to the

back burner.

Focus, persistence, and re-

sourcefulness enabled the Judiciary to weather this storm. As key decisions were being made,

the Administrative Office made certain the Judiciary’s voice was heard. In the end, a budget

was enacted that will provide additional resources for the courts and fully fund improved staff-

ing levels. Funding will be available to build sorely needed new courthouses. Judges will re-

ceive the cost-of-living increase they have been

promised, but far too often denied. Ten new district

court judgeships will be created. Resources will be

directed to the Southwest border courts to help ad-

dress their caseload explosion.

sources, there is much we can accomplish onour own. In 2000, the achievements were nu-merous and significant.

The Case Management/ElectronicCase Files system being developed to replacecurrent federal court docketing and casemanagement systems is an exciting under-taking that will revolutionize the way thecourts conduct their business. While thisproject made great progress this year, we alsoare mindful that rapidly advancing technol-

Throughout my tenure as Administra-tive Office Director I have been involved dailyin promoting the Judicial Conference’s legis-lative agenda. I regularly meet in person, talkby phone, and communicate by letter withmembers of Congress and their staff. While Ibelieve this is the right focus for my energies,this year a bit more effort was required bymany to achieve the successes we did.

While the Judiciary depends on thelegislative and executive branches for re-

D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E

“As key decisions were being made, theAdministrative Office made certain the Judiciary’svoice was heard. In 2000, the achievements werenumerous and significant.”

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ogy and personal privacy rights must becompatible. The Administrative Office isworking closely with the relevant JudicialConference committees to carefully studyand address this issue.

Reacting to requests from judges, theAdministrative Office built the Federal LawClerk Information System, a national data-base to match interested judges with poten-tial law clerks. The Electronic Public Accessprogram expanded this year to provide ac-cess to information from more than 100courts through the Internet. The Administra-tive Office has turned to the Judiciary’sintranet, the J-Net, to place important infor-mation in the hands of those in the courtswho most need it, achieving savings byeliminating certain paper documents andmailings. An increasing number of court-rooms are using video evidence presentationsystems, videoconferencing, and electronicmeans of taking the record. The Administra-tive Office developed and distributed a court-room technology guide to courts to supportthis effort.

In its second year of operation, theFederal Judicial Television Network reached280 court viewing sites, providing thousandsof court employees with easy access to train-ing and other information. Since thenetwork’s inception, the Administrative Of-fice has broadcast more than 110 differentcourses. The network also has been used suc-cessfully for educational and communityoutreach programs, which bring high-schoolstudents into courthouses throughout thecountry to learn more about the Judiciary.

The Administrative Office continues toprovide administrative support, programmanagement, and policy development assis-tance to federal courts nationwide. Supportof the Judicial Conference and its commit-tees remains an essential function of the Ad-ministrative Office. Each committee has Ad-ministrative Office staff experts who workclosely with it in conducting research anddrafting agenda items. The AdministrativeOffice also has responsibility for carrying out

Conference actions and for constantly ex-ploring ways for Judiciary programs to runmore effectively and efficiently. As a result,the agency is involved with studies of lawbooks and libraries, court security, proba-tion and pretrial services, information tech-nology, and Judiciary employee training.

Recognizing that the men andwomen who work in the courts are respon-sible for the Third Branch’s outstandingreputation, we continue to explore appro-priate ways to recognize this excellence.This year the Administrative Office beganwork on a commuter benefits program,which in 2001 will allow judges and judi-cial employees to pay a fixed amount ofpublic transportation and parking costs permonth on a pretax basis. We have providedthe funds to place automated externaldefibrillators in 400 court locations. Thesesmall semi-automatic voice-prompted de-vices deliver an electric shock to a personexperiencing cardiac arrest. The Judiciary isa government leader in making this life-saving device available.

A year ago we were awaiting the Y2Kcrisis, which, thanks to the hard work ofmany, never materialized. While no similar“crisis” looms on the horizon, 2001 is cer-tain to bring many unexpected challengesto the judicial branch. Fortunately, some is-sues recur, and others have been high-lighted by the Judicial Conference and Ad-ministrative Office long-range planningprocesses. Strategies are being developedand employees mobilized to tackle thepressing needs of the coming year.

The Administrative Office will con-tinue to present the Judicial Conference’s

“Support of the Judicial Conferenceand its committees remains anessential function of theAdministrative Office.”

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legislative agenda to Congress. We will con-tinue to publicize the growing pay disparitybetween federal judges and attorneys in theprivate sector. We will press for passage of theFederal Courts Budget Protection Act, whichwas considered but not enacted by the 106th

Congress. This legislation will assure thatthe Judiciary’s annual budget request is sub-mitted directly to Congress by the President,unchanged, as required by law. The tenjudgeships created this year by an appropria-tions bill are not enough. An omnibus judge-ship bill is needed, and long overdue. No newbankruptcy judgeships have been createdsince 1992, even though filings have jumpedseveral hundred thousand since then. Newcourthouses are needed, and they must bebuilt so as to provide each active judge witha courtroom. With more than a quarter ofthe federal criminal filings occurring in theSouthwest border courts, we will continue topush for increased resources to meet the ex-

traordinary needs of these five district courts.This list will grow by the day, and so will theenergy and commitment of the Administra-tive Office.

This year marked my fifteenth as Di-rector of the Administrative Office. When Iarrived, memos were laboriously prepared ontypewriters, copied on mimeograph ma-chines, and sent to court officials. Today,they are broadcast electronically. The budgetof the Judicial Branch was just over a quarterof what it is today, as was the number ofdrug-related cases handled by the districtcourts. The changes in the volume of courtbusiness and the way it is carried out arevast. However, the mission and responsibili-ties of the courts and the Administrative Of-fice have remained steady. In fact, it has be-come an annual rite in the Administrative Of-fice to re-pledge our commitment to providingthe best service possible to the courts and pub-lic. Expect more of the same in 2001!

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T H E Y E A R 2 0 0 0: Achievements and Challenges

The second session of the 106th Con-gress continued to consider a wide range ofissues of importance to the Judiciary. Severalchairs of Judicial Conference committeesand other Conference representatives testi-fied at congressional committee hearingsduring 2000. They typically advocated thepassage of bills containing proposals of theConference or explained why it opposed leg-islation that could adversely affect the Judi-ciary.

The 106th Congress ended with thepassage of the final appropriations bills,which included several successes for the Ju-diciary. The Commerce, Justice, State, the Ju-

One of the major ways AdministrativeOffice staff support the Judicial Conferenceand its committees is by identifying andmonitoring legislation that could have animpact on the federal Judiciary. They helparticulate Judicial Conference policies toCongress and provide information on billsregarding the organization and operation offederal courts, jurisdiction, appropriations,courthouse construction and maintenance,and other topics affecting the Judiciary. Theyalso prepare draft testimony, coordinate re-sponses to inquiries from Congress, and meetregularly with House and Senate membersand staff.

Congressional RelationsRepresenting the Judiciary

T H E Y E A R 2 0 0 0: Achievements and ChallengesAs the new century began, federal courts were facing record levels of work and a challenging budget environment. Administrative Office

managers and staff focused on helping courts use effective technologies and develop innovative case-processing measures. They provided

guidance and support necessary for

courts to continue to discharge their

duties effectively and efficiently,

supported the Judicial Conference

of the United States and its com-

mittees, helped obtain necessary

resources from Congress, and con-

tinuously looked for ways to im-

prove the quality of services, man-

age Judiciary programs better, and

economize.

This report describes the re-

sults of the agency’s efforts.

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COLA for Judgesdiciary and RelatedAgencies appropria-tions bill containedthe Judiciary’s budget,which among otherthings, cleared the wayfor a cost-of-living ad-justment for judgesand created 10 new Ar-ticle III judgeships.The Treasury, PostalService and GeneralGovernment appro-priations bill included$559 million for eightnew courthouses. Con-gress also passed the Federal Courts Im-provement Act of 2000.

Fiscal Year 2000 Budget. For the firsttwo months of fiscal year 2000, the Judiciarywas funded through a series of continuingresolutions. On November 29, 1999, the Con-solidated Appropriations Act was enacted.This act, which included the Commerce, Jus-tice, State and the Judiciary appropriationsbill, provided $3.95 billion for the entire ju-dicial branch for fiscal year 2000. This levelof funding provided the Judiciary with a 9percent increase over fis-cal year 1999 spending. Inaddition, the bill also in-cluded language creatingnine additional districtjudgeships as well as aprovision that authorizesthe Director of the Admin-istrative Office to use ap-propriated funds to pay forany increases in the costof Federal Employees’Group Life Insurance(FEGLI) imposed on senior Article III judgesafter April 24, 1999. Also included in the billwas a $5 increase in panel attorney hourlyrates. This was only the second time in 15years that an increase had been provided.The receipt of such a large increase in over-

all funding was due mainly to the extraor-dinary effort of the Judicial ConferenceCommittee on the Budget, other judges, Di-rector Mecham, and Administrative Officestaff.

Fiscal Year 2001. Because the Judiciary’sappropriations bill is included with the De-partments of Commerce, Justice, State, andother federal agencies, the Judiciary’s bud-get was delayed again in 2000 because ofpolicy differences between Congress and thePresident. However, under the leadership of

the Judicial Conference

Committee on the Budget, chaired by JudgeJohn G. Heyburn II, and Director Mecham,the Judiciary fared well in the Judiciary’s fis-cal year 2001 appropriations bill, which al-though passed by Congress in October, wasnot forwarded to the President until mid-

Bankruptcy Judge David W.Huston III (N.D. Miss.), SenateMajority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS)and Administrative Office DirectorLeonidas Ralph Mecham discussJudiciary-wide issues, amongthem a COLA for judges.

Federal Judicial Center DirectorJudge Fern M. Smith, Judge JohnG. Heyburn II (W.D. Ky.), JudgeRobert C. Broomfield (Arizona), andAdministrative Office DirectorLeonidas Ralph Mecham testify atHouse hearings on the fiscal year2001 budget.

Budget Hearings

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December when it was enacted. The bill au-thorized 10 new judgeships, provided a 2.7percent cost-of-living raise for judges, andfor the first time in three years provided theJudiciary with significant funds to hire newstaff and fully implemented new court staff-ing formulas.

Courthouse Construction. For the firsttime in four years, the President included arequest to fund a portion of the Judiciary’scourthouse construction program in the uni-fied budget proposal submitted to Congressfor fiscal year 2001. The request, however,was to fund only eight of the 17 courthouseprojects recommended by the General Ser-vices Administration (GSA) at a lower fund-ing level than GSA’s estimates.

Judge Jane Roth, chair of the JudicialConference Committee on Security and Fa-cilities, met with congressional leaders andtestified before both the House and Senateauthorizing subcommittees and a House Ap-propriations subcommittee to urge full fund-ing of all courthouse projects with adherenceto Judicial Conference policy of one court-room for every active district judge. The

courtroom sharing issue was reviewed in anErnst & Young report that was completed un-der an Administrative Office contract andtransmitted to Congress by the Director. Thereport recommended no change to the Judi-cial Conference policy of one courtroom forevery active district judge. All judges withcourthouse projects, Director Mecham, andAdministrative Office staff worked withmembers of Congress to gain support.

Congress did not approve OMB’s pro-posal for courtroom sharing. The Senate au-thorizing committee approved all 17 projectsproposed by GSA at full funding levels. TheHouse authorizing committee approved allbut one of the projects, with most at fullfunding, but slightly reduced a few projectsto eliminate any modifications from the U.S.Courts Design Guide. The total funds ap-propriated, however, did not cover all of theprojects that were authorized. The final ap-propriations bill provided funds in fiscal year2001 for only the top four projects on theJudiciary’s prioritized plan (Los Angeles,California; Seattle, Washington; Richmond,Virginia; and Gulfport, Mississippi). It alsoprovided funding to be available in fiscal year2002 for four more projects (Washington,D.C.; Buffalo, New York; Springfield, Massa-chusetts; and Miami, Florida). Congress ap-propriated funds for 11 courthouse repair andalteration projects in fiscal year 2001.

Judicial Operations & Jurisdiction.In the closing days of the 106th Congress,both houses passed an amended version ofthe Federal Courts Improvement Act of 2000.On November 13, 2000, the President signedthe act, which includes numerous provisionsenhancing the Judiciary’s effectiveness andefficiency. Among other things, the act• Amends the contempt authority of magis-

trate judges and the petty consent require-ment of cases before them.

• Authorizes the Judicial Conference to es-tablish magistrate judge positions in thedistrict courts of Guam and the NorthernMariana Islands.

Summary of Fiscal YSummary of Fiscal YSummary of Fiscal YSummary of Fiscal YSummary of Fiscal Year 2001 Budgetear 2001 Budgetear 2001 Budgetear 2001 Budgetear 2001 Budget(total obligations in thousands of dollars)

FY 2001Appropriation FY 2000 House Senate Estimated Total

Account Actual Bill Bill Available Resources

Court of Appeals, District Courts,and Other Judicial Services

Salaries and Expenses 3,405,839 3,621,688 3,665,682 3,705,129

Defenders Services 406,982 428,417 424,447 445,861

Fees of Jurors 63,000 64,192 62,938 62,219

Court Security 200,917 199,161 203,033 206,462

Subtotal 4,076,738 4,313,458 4,356,100 4,419,671

Other Accounts 207,013 208,045 201,657 210,341

TOTAL OBLIGATIONS 4,283,751 4,521,503 4,557,757 4,630,012

THE JUDICIARYTHE JUDICIARYTHE JUDICIARYTHE JUDICIARYTHE JUDICIARY

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• Allows senior judges to participate in cir-cuit judicial councils.

• Gives the Director of the AdministrativeOffice authority to appoint certifying offic-ers in court units, which will help aid theimplementation of a Judiciary-wide finan-cial accounting system.

• Increases certain bankruptcy fees.• Makes permanent the statutory authority

for bankruptcy administrators in Alabamaand North Carolina.

• Permits the chief judge to authorize theclerk of court to determine whether per-sons are qualified, unqualified, exempt, orexcused from jury service.

• Increases the case compensation maxi-mum amounts for panel attorneys.

The enacted version of the bill did notcontain a provision that would have allowedcameras in courtrooms with the consent ofall parties.

Criminal Justice. As a result of increasesin law enforcement activity, the explosion ofillegal drug and immigration cases along theU.S./Mexico border triggered a need for con-gressional action to provide more resources tothe southwest border courts. Administrative

Office staff worked extensively with membersof Congress to press the urgency of the situa-tion. On May 11, 2000, Chief Judge CarolynDineen King (5th Circuit), Chief Judge StephenM. McNamee (Arizona), Chief Judge MarilynL. Huff (California-Southern), Chief JudgeJohn Edwards Conway (New Mexico), ChiefJudge George P. Kazen (Texas-Southern),Judge Edward C. Prado (Texas-Western), andJudge W. Royal Furgeson, Jr. (Texas-Western),briefed members of the Congressional BorderCaucus regarding the crisis. On June 30, 2000,Judge Furgeson testified before the House Gov-ernment Reform Subcommittee on CriminalJustice, Drug Policy, and Human Resourcesconcerning the impact of dramatically in-creased drug trafficking on the border courts.As a result of these and other efforts, four newdistrict court judgeships and significant addi-tional resources were provided for the bordercourts in the Judiciary’s fiscal year 2001 ap-propriation bill.

Judges Pay. Judges received a 2.7 percentEmployment Cost Index adjustment alongwith members of Congress and ExecutiveSchedule employees on January 1, 2001.Judges have received cost-of-living increases

Chief Judge Edward R. Becker (3rd Circuit),top right, told the Senate JudiciarySubcommittee on Administrative Oversightand the Courts that after thoroughlystudying the issue, the Judicial Conferencetakes the position that permitting camerasin federal courts is not in the best interestsof justice. Also testifying before thesubcommittee were Associate Justice HillerZobel of Massachusetts (foreground) andJudge Nancy Gertner (Massachusetts). TheFederal Courts Improvement Act of 2000was enacted without a provision thatwould have allowed cameras incourtrooms with the consent of all parties.

Judicial Operations

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in three of the past four years, following aperiod of four years in which there were noincreases. The Commerce, Justice, State, theJudiciary and Related Agencies appropria-tions bill contained the required waiver ofsection 140 of P.L. 97-92, clearing the way forthe increase.

Judicial Resources. During the secondsession, 39 nominees for Article III judge-ships were confirmed–eight court of appealsjudges and 31 district court judges. That ac-tion brought the total number of judicialconfirmations for the 106th Congress to 73,but left 63 judicial vacancies pending.

Article III JudgeshipsOn July 31, 2000, the Judicial Confer-

ence transmitted to Congress a revised re-quest for federal judgeships. The new pro-posal requested six permanent judgeshipsand four temporary judgeships for the courtsof appeals and 30 permanent district judge-ships and 23 temporary district judgeships.The Conference also recommended thatseven temporary district judgeships be madepermanent and that one be extended. OnSeptember 19, 2000, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced theJudicial Conference proposal as S. 3071. Al-though Congress did not take action on thisbill before its adjournment, 10 district judge-

ships were added to the Commerce, Justice,State and the Judiciary appropriations bill.The new positions were created in the dis-tricts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas-South-ern, Texas-Western, Florida-Southern, Ne-vada, Virginia-Eastern, Kentucky-Eastern,South Carolina, and Wisconsin-Eastern.Congress last created new judgeships in 1999by including nine in the omnibus appropria-

tions bill. These were the first since theJudgeship Act of 1990 was passed.

Bankruptcy JudgeshipsDuring the first session of the 106th

Congress, the Judicial Conference recom-mended the creation of 24 new bankruptcyjudgeships, conversion of two temporaryjudgeships to permanent judgeships, and ex-tension of the terms of three other existingtemporary judgeships. Both the House andSenate incorporated a modified judgeshipprovision into the bankruptcy reform bill.The President, however, vetoed the bill afterCongress adjourned.

On October 25, 2000, RepresentativeNick Smith (R-MI) introduced H.R. 5540, abill consisting of the judgeship provision ofthe reform legislation and a provision to ex-tend the family farmer chapter of the bank-ruptcy code. The House passed this bill onOctober 31, 2000, but it was never taken upin the Senate.

The Judicial Conference submitted itsreport on the fourth biennial survey of thecontinuing need for bankruptcy judgeshipsto Congress December 31, 2000. The reportreflects the Judicial Conference position thatno authorized bankruptcy judgeship shouldbe statutorily eliminated, but that circuitsshould be advised to continue the practice offilling bankruptcy judgeship vacancies when

there is a demonstrated need todo so. In the year 2000, sevenauthorized bankruptcy judge-ships in five circuits were inten-tionally left vacant. Also duringthe year, one temporary bank-ruptcy judgeship lapsed under

the terms of the statutory provisions govern-ing such judgeships.

Magistrate JudgeshipsIn fiscal year 2000, there were 447

full-time, 68 part-time, and three combinedclerk/magistrate judge positions. Anothernine new full-time magistrate judge posi-tions were authorized for fiscal year 2001.

“Administrative Office staff worked extensivelywith members of Congress to press the urgencyof the situation.”

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10

Five of the nine new positions were conver-sions of part-time positions to full-time sta-tus. The increase is due to growing caseloadsand expanded use of magistrate judges bythe district courts.

Other Legislation. The Judiciary also hasconsiderable interest in several proposalsthat could affect its operations but that werenot passed. However, Judicial Conferencecommittee chairs, other judges, the Director,and Administrative Office staff succeeded inraising awareness in Congress of theJudiciary’s position on the issues involved.The 106th Congress ended with these billsstill pending:

• Federal Courts Budget Protection Act. De-signed to close a loophole in existing lawthat allows the executive branch to reduceindirectly the Judiciary’s budget request toCongress and prevent the executive branchfrom eliminating budget requests for court-house construction projects needed by theJudiciary. The Judicial Conference supportsthis legislation.

• Legislation responding to the SupremeCourt’s decision in Lexecon v. MilbergWeiss. The Judicial Conference supports aproposal to allow a judge with a trans-ferred case from the Judicial Panel onMultidistrict Litigation to retain it for trialor transfer the case to another district.

• Federal Agency Compliance Act, whichwould require federal agencies, in civilcases, to adhere to existing precedents an-nounced by the court of appeals in thatcircuit, except under certain circum-stances, thereby discouraging intra-circuitnon-acquiescence. The Judicial Confer-ence supports this legislation.

• Private Property Rights ImplementationAct, which is intended to expedite federalcourt consideration of claims by privateproperty owners who allege that theirproperty rights have been violated by finalagency actions either by the federal gov-ernment or state and local governments.

The Judicial Conference continued to reit-erate its concerns with this legislation.

• Managed care legislation. The JudicialConference urged Congress to provide thatthe state courts be the primary forum forthe resolution of personal injury claimsarising from the denial of health-carebenefits, should Congress determine thatsuch legal recourse is warranted.

• Class action legislation. The Judicial Con-ference opposed the class action provisionsas introduced because of the potentiallysignificant caseload impact and becausesuch provisions would conflict with long-recognized principles of federalism.

• Asbestos legislation. In 1991, the JudicialConference encouraged Congress to con-sider a national legislative solution tostreamline the resolution of asbestos per-sonal injury cases.

• Proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitu-tion granting rights to victims of crime.The Judicial Conference strongly prefers astatutory approach over a constitutionalamendment on the issue of victims’ rights.

• Juvenile justice bills. The Judicial Confer-ence has expressed its concern over legis-lation that is intended to shift traditionalstate criminal prosecutions into federalcourts.

“Judicial Conference committee chairs, otherjudges, the Director, and Administrative Officestaff succeeded in raising awareness inCongress of the Judiciary’s position on theissues involved.”

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Offering new management strategies,as well as enhancing ongoing programs, is amajor contribution of the Administrative Of-fice in its quest to provide effective solutionsfor the Judiciary’s changing administrativeneeds. Standing advisory groups and cross-cutting advisory councils of court represen-tatives provide advice on programs and poli-cies to Administrative Office managers andstaff. In addition, the agency organizes adhoc working groups to identify requirementsfor new systems, review policies, developplans, or complete other tasks.

Management achievements in 2000included the following.

Updated Funding Formulas. The Judi-cial Conference approved new staffing for-mulas in September 2000. The new formu-las, based on work measurement studiescompleted by Administrative Office staff, re-flect the work requirements and the impactof automation and changes in work pro-cesses. They are being used for staffing allo-cations for fiscal year 2001, which will befully funded, and for budget preparation forfiscal year 2002.

Updated formulas for non-salaryfunding, developed by Administrative Officestaff with the advice of a working group of 16

court representatives, were incorporated intothe fiscal year 2001 financial plan. Theywere used to determine individual allotmentsto the courts for fiscal year 2001 and are be-ing incorporated into the fiscal year 2002budget submission to Congress.

Southwest Border Courts. The districtcourts located along the Southwestern bor-der—California-Southern, Arizona, NewMexico, Texas-Southern, and Texas-West-ern—currently handle 26 percent of allcriminal federal filings in the United States.In response to the workload crisis in thesecourts caused by this overwhelmingworkload associated with illegal immigra-tion and drug smuggling, Administrative Of-fice staff have responded by working withCongress to garner support for supplyingthese courts with additional resources, in-cluding new judgeships in these districts. Inaddition, the courts have been provided withincreased staff, including interpreters, courtreporters, and probation and pretrial servicesofficers.

Long-Range Planning. The Administra-tive Office supported two long-range plan-ning meetings of Judicial Conference com-mittee chairs in 2000, as well as long-range

planning and budgeting ac-tivities by individual com-mittees. Planning meetingsin March and Septemberwere led by Judge Ralph G.Thompson (Oklahoma-Western), the ExecutiveCommittee’s planning coor-dinator. The various JudicialConference committees ex-amined trends, events, andpolicies that will affect theirprograms; they identifiedover 40 strategic issues ofconcern; and they consid-ered possible courses of ac-

The district courts located along theSouthwestern border—California-Southern,Arizona, New Mexico, Texas-Southern, andTexas-Western—currently handle 26 percentof all criminal federal filings in the UnitedStates. In response to the workload crisis inthese courts caused by this overwhelmingworkload associated with illegal immigrationand drug smuggling, Administrative Office staffhave responded by working with Congress togarner support for supplying these courts withadditional resources, including new judgeshipsin these districts.

Border Courts

Providing Effective SolutionsProgram and Management Assistance

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tion to address them. As a group, the commit-tee chairs focused on broad trends and issuesthat cut across committee lines affecting thework, resources, and operation of the courts.

International Judicial Relations. TheAdministrative Office conducted briefings for57 foreign delegations, including 263 judgesand court administrators from 60 countries.Highlights included

• A program for judges from the RussianCouncil of Judges and Judicial Depart-ment on court administration, with par-ticular emphasis on the role of clerks ofcourt.

• A program for judges from the Russian Ar-bitrage (commercial) courts on commer-cial litigation and the bankruptcy courts,with emphasis on the use of automationto promote case management.

• A program for judges and court officialsfrom Tanzania on judicial ethics and cor-ruption.

• A program in Washington and Chicago forRussian officials involved in court admin-istration on judicial and court adminis-tration from national, regional, and localperspectives.

• A program for judges from China on fed-eral judicial administration and the use ofautomation and technology in the federalcourts.

A publication about the federal courtshas been published for an international au-dience– The Federal Court System in theUnited States: An Introduction for Judgesand Judicial Administrators in OtherCountries.

Administrative Office staff also par-ticipated in a program on court administra-tion and court management for judges andcourt administrators from Armenia, Georgia,and Tajikistan; visited the Director of the Of-fice of the Hungarian National Council of Jus-tice and his staff to discuss the Hungarianjudiciary’s new management structure andexchange views on court administration and

management; and assisted the newly estab-lished bankruptcy court in Thailand in estab-lishing case management procedures andsupport mechanisms.

Amendments to the Federal Rulesof Practice and Procedure..... In 2000,the Judicial Conference approved 14 amend-ments to the federal rules of practice andprocedure and the abrogation of the copy-right rules. It submitted the recommenda-tions to the Supreme Court for its approval.

Administrative Office staff continuedto monitor pending legislation affecting therules. It kept the rules committees advised ofdevelopments in about 30 bills in the pastyear. The staff prepared correspondence tocongressional Judiciary committee chairsraising concerns and conveying JudicialConference positions on rules-related issues.

Intercircuit Assignments. In support ofthe Committee on Intercircuit Assignments,Administrative Office staff assist with theprocessing of assignments for Article IIIjudges to serve outside their home circuits,or in the case of judges of the Court of Inter-national Trade, to serve on any other ArticleIII court. During 2000, a total of 153intercircuit assignments, undertaken by 89Article III judges, were processed by the com-mittee and approved by the Chief Justice. Ofthe 153 assignments approved, 82 were forthe courts of appeals, 70 for the districtcourts, and one for the Court of Appeals forthe Armed Forces. Administrative Office staffalso assisted in maintaining rosters of bothactive and senior judges who are willing totake intercircuit assignments, and in identi-fying and obtaining judges who can helpcourts in need.

Enhanced Integrity for Probationand Pretrial Services Officers. As partof a new initiative to ensure the quality andsuccess of the probation and pretrial servicessystem, the Administrative Office is imple-menting two new Judicial Conference policies:

Administrative Office staff preparedcorrespondence to congressional Judiciarycommittee chairs raising concerns andconveying Judicial Conference positions onrules-related issues.

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• Pre-employment background investiga-tions for officer assistants and updated in-vestigations every five years for both offic-ers and officer assistants.

• Pre-employment and random drug testingfor officers and officer assistants. (The Ad-ministrative Office implemented pre-em-ployment and random drug testing foragency staff responsible for federal correc-tions and supervision programs.)

The Administrative Office also has cre-ated a working group to help develop a com-prehensive national officer safety programthat will include national safety trainingstandards and a curriculum for an officerdefensive tactics program.

Court Interpreting. The AdministrativeOffice issued an annual report on court re-porting. It showed that in fiscal year 2000there was a significant increase in the num-ber of events requiring the use of interpretersin federal courts. District courts reported that

they used interpreters in 190,127 events, anincrease of 15 percent from 1999. The num-ber of languages required rose from 103 in1999 to 106 in 2000. Spanish remains themost used language for interpreters in thecourts, accounting for 94.2 percent of all re-ported events (179,271 events), followed byMandarin (2,092 events). Other frequentlyused languages were Vietnamese (931events), Cantonese (847 events), Russian(755 events), Korean (585 events), and Ara-bic (538 events).

On January 3, 2000, the interpreterfees were raised from $250 per day to $305per day for federally certified or profession-ally qualified interpreters, and from $120 perday to $145 per day for language skilled in-terpreters.

In fiscal year 2000, 75 new Spanishinterpreters received certification. There noware 812 federally certified Spanish interpret-ers, 13 Haitian Creole, and nine Navajo fed-erally certified interpreters. The National

Telephone interpreting provides remoteinterpreting in situations where on-siteinterpreters are not available or cost-effective. While precise costs of telephoneinterpreting are difficult to calculate, theuse of telephone interpreting costs around$40 per hearing. This representsconsiderable cost savings to the Judiciaryand also ensures that only AdministrativeOffice certified and professionally qualifiedinterpreters are used.

Court Interpreting

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Court Interpreter Database, maintained bythe Administrative Office, helps courts locateinterpreters in a multitude of languagesthrough J-Net.

The Judiciary’s Telephone InterpretingProgram provides remote interpretation insituations where on-site court interpretersare not available or cost-effective. Telephoneinterpreting is used for short proceedingssuch as pretrial hearings, initial appear-ances, arraignments, motion hearings, andprobation and pretrial services interviews.

In fiscal year 2000, telephone inter-preting was used in 1,234 hearings and in244 out-of-court events in a dozen districtsnationwide, as compared to 1,000 courthearings and 250 out-of-court events in fis-cal year 1999.

While precise costs of telephone inter-preting are difficult to calculate, the use oftelephone interpreting costs around $40 perhearing. This represents considerable costsavings to the Judiciary and also ensures thatonly Administrative Office certified and pro-fessionally qualified interpreters are used.

Court Reviews and InternalControls. In fiscal year 2000, the Adminis-trative Office expanded its audit program,completed 108 financial audits, conducted63 on-site reviews, and visited 198 courts andrelated offices to provide specific technicalassistance.

The Judiciary continued its emphasison reviewing and strengthening internalcontrols. Agency staff developed a website tohelp courts design and manage their inter-nal control programs.

Administrative Office staff also devel-oped a set of questions, surveys, and check-lists to help courts assess the effectiveness oftheir information technology programs. Theself-assessment tools are available on J-Net.

Digital Audio RecordingTechnology. Administrative Office staff de-veloped guidelines for implementing thistechnology as a means of taking the official

record of court proceedings. The guidelinesinclude technical and functional system re-quirements and a self-assessment tool forcourts to use in deciding whether to purchasesuch systems.

Bankruptcy Noticing Center. The cen-ter electronically retrieves data from partici-pating courts’ case management systemsand prints, addresses, batches, and mails pa-per notices to attorneys, creditors, and othersat a fraction of the time and cost required toproduce manually the notices.

In fiscal year 2000, lower pricing gen-erated cost avoidances totaling more than$1.2 million. In addition, options for courtand BNC notice file exchange were expandedto include Internet-based transactions thatprovide better file transmissions in a fractionof the time required by dial-up connection.It also provides better support for documentsformatted for the Case Management/Elec-tronic Case Files system.

Bankruptcy AdministratorProgram. The Administrative Office pro-vides program direction and oversight to thebankruptcy administrators in the six judicialdistricts of Alabama and North Carolina,where this program is established by statute.To fulfill that role in 2000, agency staff con-ducted regular telephone conferences with thebankruptcy administrators and made on-sitevisits to address ways to enhance NewBATS,the electronic case administration programused by the bankruptcy administrator offices.In addition, the Administrative Office partici-pated with the bankruptcy administrators in atraining program for trustees, court staff, andthe bar, and conducted a training session fortrustees in conjunction with a national semi-nar for chapter 13 trustees.

Prisoner Civil RightsVideoconferencing. The use ofvideoconferencing in prisoner civil pretrialproceedings enables courts to reduce costsassociated with having inmates transported

In fiscal year 2000, the AdministrativeOffice expanded its audit program,completed 108 financial audits, conducted63 on-site reviews, and visited 198 courtsand related offices to provide specifictechnical assistance.

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from correctional facilities or having judgesand court employees travel to correctionalfacilities. It helps eliminate potential secu-rity risks to judges, court staff, and the pub-

lic. And, in several district courts with a largenumber of prisoner cases, videoconferencinghas enhanced their ability to move casesmore efficiently.

Director’s Awards

Each year, Director Mecham invites nominations for and honors court employeeswith two awards. The Director’s Award for Administrative Excellence honors federalcourt employees for outstanding achievements in improving the administration ofthe federal Judiciary. The Director’s Award for Outstanding Leadership recognizesemployees who have made long-term contributions to increase managerial effective-ness and who have developed improvements in the administration of the federal Ju-diciary.

Recipients of the 2000 Director ’s Award for Administrative Excellence:• Jesse D. Cannon, Jr., Assistant Circuit Executive, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Cir-

cuit.• Barry K. Lander, Clerk of Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, California-Southern.• F. Dan Wieser, U.S. Probation Officer, Florida-Middle.

Recipient of the 2000 Director’s Award for Outstanding Leadership:• Brenda K. Argoe, Clerk of Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, South Carolina

Considering New Approaches for the FutureStrategic Studies

Assessing strategic program issues andidentifying future requirements and oppor-tunities for improvement are important toprogram management. In conjunction withJudicial Conference committees, Administra-tive Office staff directed studies by indepen-dent consultants or undertook studies of sev-eral major program areas in 2000.

Space and Facilities. In May 2000, theJudiciary received a final report from Ernst& Young following a year-long independentassessment of the Judiciary’s space and fa-cilities program. The contractors recog-nized that the Judiciary already has taken

steps to achieve savings and made sugges-tions and recommendations for further effi-ciencies in the use of the Judiciary’s spaceand facilities.

Judicial Security. An independent assess-ment of the Judiciary’s security program wasbegun in February 2000 to review the effec-tiveness and efficiency of current securitystandards, policies, and procedures. A finalreport with recommendations for physicalsecurity of courthouses, the feasibility of re-placing contract court security officers witha federal security force, and records checksfor court employees is due in early 2001.

Jesse D. Cannon, Jr.

Barry K. Lander

F. Dan Wieser

Brenda K. Argoe

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Information Technology. An indepen-dent contractor examined the Judiciary’s in-formation technology needs and objectives,considering anticipated changes and en-hancements in technology in the market-place. A final report was received in Novem-ber 2000, and the contractor concluded thatthe Judiciary has been able to put in place anational information technology programwith significantly fewer resources than othergovernment organizations, especially con-sidering its complex information environ-ment and highly distributed operations. Thereport recommends ways the Judiciary cantake advantage of new technologies to meetits future operational requirements.

National Training Needs. A contractoranalyzed, documented, and prioritized train-ing needs and prepared a training plan for thedevelopment of future training programs.

Bankruptcy Mega-Cases. Administra-tive Office and Federal Judicial Center staffstudied the weighted caseload formula to de-termine the adjustment needed to reflectmore accurately the judicial workload impli-cations of mega-case chapter 11 filings.

Lawbooks and Libraries. The study isreviewing alternatives related to lawbooks,defining core collec-tions for librariesand judges’ cham-bers, and examiningsize guidelines forlibraries. Consult-ants surveyedjudges, law clerks,staff attorneys, andpro se law clerks onthe use of lawbooksand libraries. Survey

Independent Study of the Spaceand Facilities ProgramPrincipal findings and conclusions from the study include the following:

• Planning. The consultants concluded that the Judiciary’s long-range facilities planning processhas produced reasonably accurate predictions of judges, staff, and associated facilities needs. Theyrecommended several refinements to the planning process.

• Courtrooms. Ernst & Young found that new courtroom policies adopted in 1997, particularly re-garding the provision of courtrooms to senior judges for 10 years, resulted in a reduction in thenumber of courtrooms planned for new facilities—with an average of four courtrooms plannedfor every five judges. Ernst & Young identified important factors that necessitate a high degree offlexibility in the scheduling and use of courtrooms, and, consequently, limit the ability to sharecourtrooms. Ernst & Young recommended 1) retaining the national policy of planning one court-room per active Article III judge, 2) on a case-by-case basis, considering whether fewer court-rooms may be feasible in courthouses with more than 10 district judges, and 3) for senior districtjudges, providing access to a dedicated courtroom for the first two years and, thereafter, onecourtroom for every two working senior judges.

• Funding Courthouses. Ernst & Young recommended alternative funding approaches that wouldgive the Judiciary more direct control.

• Design and Construction of Facilities. Ernst & Young found that the U.S. Courts Design Guide is auseful document and recommended some further cost-control options and the development ofseparate standards for renovation projects. Ernst & Young concluded that the cost benchmarks andescalation rates used by the General Services Administration (GSA) are outdated, and noted thatGSA’s plans for public spaces in courthouses can constitute a significant part of the overall cost.

“The contractor concluded that theJudiciary has been able to put in placea national information technologyprogram with significantly fewerresources than other governmentorganizations.”

The consultants concluded that theJudiciary’s long-range facilities planningprocess has produced reasonably accuratepredictions of judges, staff, and associatedfacilities needs. They recommended severalrefinements to the planning process.

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results, along with spending, inventory, andother data will be used to develop a reportthat will be discussed by the Committee onAutomation and Technology at its June 2001meeting.

Postage and Mail Management. Con-sultants reviewed the Judiciary’s mail man-agement practices and concluded that therewere no major cost inefficiencies and thatcourt mail units are using prudent judgmentin their mail operations. As a result of a pilotproject, conversion of all courts to commer-cial postage accounts will begin in fiscal

year 2001, upon approval of DirectorMecham.

Probation and Pretrial ServicesSystem. The purpose of the study is tomake recommendations for ensuring the fu-ture quality and success of the probation andpretrial services system. Consultants willidentify strategic issues; define core func-tions and work; identify resources; suggestways to enhance effectiveness or efficiency;and assess alternative approaches for pro-gram services.

An important part of the work of Ad-ministrative Office staff is communicatingeffectively with federal courts and the public.Agency employees use electronic and papermethods of communicating to distribute in-formation and reach out to Judiciary em-ployees, the public, and Congress.

Community Outreach. Community out-reach programs increase the public’s un-derstanding of the federal Judiciary. Thisyear, more than 1,300 high-school seniors

at 34 court locations across the countryparticipated in a Law Day program spon-sored by the Administrative Office. The pro-gram, Judicial Independence and You, wonan Outstanding Law Day Activity Awardfrom the American Bar Association.

Another initiative is the Outreach toColleges and Universities project. Targetedat college and law-school graduates, a CD-ROM was developed for universities andplacement offices, which provides informa-tion about the wide variety of career oppor-tunities within the Judiciary. This initiativewill enable the Judiciary to compete withthe private sector and other federal agen-cies for quality talent in the current com-petitive job market.

Internet..... The Administrative Office man-ages and coordinates policy and proceduresrelated to Internet access and maintains itsown Internet site, www.uscourts.gov. A newfeature of this site is Judiciary Now, which isused to bring the latest news to the mediaand the public. Many courts make informa-tion available to the public via the Internet.As a result, they receive fewer calls regarding

Disseminating Information About the JudiciaryCommunications

The Administrative Office managesand coordinates policy andprocedures related to Internetaccess, and maintains its ownInternet site, www.uscourts.gov. Anew feature of this site is JudiciaryNow, which is used to bring the latestnews to the media and the public.

Judiciary Now

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office hours, directions to the courthouse,and questions concerning local rules, savingstaff time and money. The Judiciary also usesthe Internet for research and acquisition ac-tivities.• Electronic Public Access (EPA). In fiscal

year 2000, implementation of the Public

Access Network, which provides access tocourt case information from the Internet,expanded to over 100 sites. In addition,the BANCAP Web PACER product was en-hanced to provide real-time access tocourt case information, a NIBS WebPACER system was developed, and several

Publications

This year’s publishing achievements include

Annual Report of the Director: Reports of the Proceedings of the Judicial Conference of the United States;Activities of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; Judicial Business of the U.S. Courts.

District Clerks Manual was revised and made available to all district courts electronically via J-Net.

Fair Employment Practices Report. This annual publication provides overall demographic statistics aboutthe court work force and reports on court achievements in making the courts model employers.

Federal Court Management Report. Written and edited for court managers, this periodical reports ondevelopments and trends of interest in the Judiciary.

Federal Probation. A scholarly journal published twice a year.

The History of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts: Sixty Years of Service to the FederalJudiciary documents the Administrative Office’s history and achievements since its creation in 1939.

Judicial Security Systems Manual identifies physical and electronic security system requirements for spaceoccupied by the Judiciary. It also provides direction and consistency for the design and implementation ofsecurity systems during construction of new courthouses and major renovations.

Organization Design Resource Guide. This document is now available on the J-Net, under Human Resources.Numerous links to other human resources sites relating to Organization Design are also available on theweb site.

News and Views. The bi-weekly newsletter for federal probation and pretrial services officers.

Report to Congress on the Optimal Utilization of Judicial Resources is an annual report on the Judiciary’seconomy efforts.

Retirement Benefits for Bankruptcy Judges and Magistrate Judges, Judges Information Series No. 5, isdesigned to guide judges through the complexity of the applicable laws and to assist them in the retirementplanning process.

Judges Manual, Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures. This new version of the Judges Manual replacesVolume III (Judges Manual), Volume V (Bankruptcy Manual), and Volume IX (Magistrate Judges Manual).

The Third Branch. The monthly newsletter of the federal Judiciary.

This year, more than 1,300 high-schoolseniors at 34 court locations across thecountry participated in a Law Day programsponsored by the Administrative Office. Theprogram, Judicial Independence and You,won an Outstanding Law Day Activity Awardfrom the American Bar Association.

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courts began offering images of their casedocuments on the Internet. The Adminis-trative Office also worked with Wade Sys-tems, Inc., to incorporate the Judicial Con-ference approved Internet access fee intotheir RACER product, which offers accessto imaged documents.

• Federal Law Clerk Information System. In2000, the Administrative Office launchedthe Federal Law Clerk Information System,a new database accessible through theJudiciary’s Internet web site that allowsprospective law clerk candidates to obtaininformation about upcoming or existing

employment opportunities as law clerks tofederal judges. Judges and chambers staffcan post vacancy announcements througha chambers module on J-Net, reducingsubstantially the need to respond to indi-vidual inquiries about clerkship opportu-nities or the application process. Within

days of the system going live, informationon more than 300 law clerk positions wasposted on the web site.

• J-Net. The Judiciary uses an intranet forinternal communications that offers acollection of information that can beshared electronically. The AdministrativeOffice maintains a site on this intranetcalled J-Net, which is helping to achievesavings as it disseminates greater amountsof information electronically in place ofpaper documents.

ListServ, a feature added to J-Net in2000, provides weekly e-mails on the 10 mostrecent listings to Judiciary employees whosign up for this service. Also, courts now cansubmit job opportunity announcements us-ing an automated program that convertsfiles to HTML and ensures prompt posting.

Electronic Broadcast of Correspon-dence to Court Officials. In September1999, Administrative Office staff began send-ing official correspondence and other impor-tant information to all chief judges or courtunit executives electronically. Unlike regulare-mail messages, the broadcast system pro-vides fully formatted and signed correspon-dence. The electronic broadcast of corre-spondence from the Director and other Ad-ministrative Office officials has been a posi-tive step for both the Administrative Officeand the courts. It has reduced printing andpostage costs and enables the courts to re-ceive important information quickly.

In 2000, the Administrative Officelaunched the Federal Law ClerkInformation System, within days ofthe system going live, informationon more than 300 law clerkpositions was posted on the website.

Federal Law ClerkInformation System

A corps of skilled practitioners, prag-matic problem solvers, and experienced pro-fessionals is critical to success for the Judi-ciary. To help ensure that federal courts haveemployees with the skills necessary to meetthe challenges of expanding workload,growth, increasingly tight funding, and rap-idly changing technology, the Administrative

Office maintains an extensive training pro-gram employing both traditional instructor-led and distance learning methods. The pri-mary goal of the program is to provide awide variety of quality training opportunitiesto meet the Judiciary’s educational needs ascost effectively as possible.

Courses offered in 2000 were linked

The Key to a Skilled WorkforceTraining

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directly to the timely imple-mentation of Judiciary poli-cies and programs, such as• Financial management.• Retirement planning.• Statistical reporting.• Firearms instruction.• Facilities management.• Contracting.• Administrative and opera-

tional procedures.• Court reporting, including

realtime court reporting.• Court Personnel System.• Automation systems.• Benefits and benefits administration.• Panel attorney training.• Electronic bankruptcy noticing.• Procurement procedures.• Workplace drug testing.• Employment dispute resolution.• Law clerk appointments.• Orientation programs for chief judges,

probation officers, court managers, andfederal defenders.

Administrative Office staff began de-veloping training in budgeting and financialinternal controls for the Judiciary, which arescheduled for release in 2001. Developmentof training for accounting operations andappropriations law began in fiscal year 2000and will continue in 2001.

FJTN. The Federal Judicial Television Net-work continued to be an integral part of theJudiciary’s training efforts in 2000, convert-ing training programs previously offered in atraditional classroom setting to a format us-ing the television network. The Administra-tive Office is the biggest user of FJTN, nowbroadcasting to more than 280 viewing sitesthroughout the Judiciary, making theJudiciary’s broadcasting network one of thelargest in the federal government. Livebroadcasts use push-to-talk capability, al-lowing viewers to participate interactivelyduring the broadcasts. Other distance learn-ing courses employed web- and paper-basedsupporting materials, and videotape footagefeaturing demonstrations and virtual fieldtrips.

Administrative Office staff develop andadminister personnel, payroll, retirement,and insurance programs for Judiciary em-ployees; provide counseling related to ben-efits and retirement; and communicate withJudiciary employees through a variety of me-dia to explain new benefits or changes to ex-isting programs.

Flexible Benefits. The Flexible BenefitProgram gives judges and Judiciary employ-ees the ability to pay for certain health-careand dependent-care expenses on a pre-taxbasis. The first annual open election periodwas held early in fiscal year 2000. Employeeresponse was overwhelming, with 20 percentof the workforce electing to participate.

Among Efforts to Attract and Retain a High Quality WorkforceBenefits and Human Resources Management

To help ensure that federal courtshave employees with the skillsnecessary to meet the challenges ofexpanding workload, growth,increasingly tight funding, andrapidly changing technology, theAdministrative Office maintains anextensive training program employingboth traditional instructor-led anddistance learning methods.

Training

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Long-Term Care Insurance. More than4,500 employees and their relatives appliedfor coverage during the first open season,held in November 1999.

Commuter Benefit Program. The Ad-ministrative Office developed and introduceda commuter benefit program in 2000 thatconsists of a transportation reimbursementaccount and a parking reimbursement ac-count. Now, courts can offer judges and Judi-ciary employees the option of paying formass-transit and vanpooling expenses andparking costs incurred for commuting to andfrom work on a pre-tax basis.

Public Transportation Subsidies. TheDirector delegated to chief judges the author-ity to establish subsidies, using local courtfunds, for employees’ use of public transpor-tation to commute to and from work. A num-ber of courts throughout the Judiciary havedecided to adopt such a program for theiremployees.

Professional Liability InsuranceReimbursement Program. Beginningin February 1999, judges were allowed to bereimbursed for up to half the cost of the an-nual premium for professional liability in-surance, or $150, whichever was less. The Ju-dicial Conference extended this program toseveral other groups of court officials in April2000. Later in the year, the $150 reimburse-ment limit was lifted for judges.

Human Resources Management In-formation System (HRMIS). A new per-sonnel and payroll system for the Judiciarywas successfully implemented in the Admin-istrative Office, Federal Judicial Center, andU.S. Sentencing Commission in 2000. Knownas HRMIS, the new system was developedwith Peoplesoft, a commercial softwarepackage. A contractor modified the softwareto meet Judiciary-specific needs. The mostsignificant modification was integrating itwith the Judiciary’s Central Accounting Sys-tem.

The successful testing and implemen-tation of the system in the Administrative Of-fice will help with full court implementa-tion.

Flexible benefits, long-term careinsurance, and public transportationsubsidies are among the Judiciary'sefforts to attract and retain a high-quality workforce.

During 2000, Administrative Officestaff continued to devote considerable atten-tion to information technology initiativesaimed at moving courts toward the comingera of electronic case files; making networksfaster and more secure; replacing outmodedsystems; and improving planning, budget,and project management processes for infor-mation technology programs. Working

closely with the courts, the agency is helpingthe Judiciary harness technology to bring thecourts new, more efficient ways of doing busi-ness and communicating with each other, theAdministrative Office, and the public.

Y2K. Months of careful planning andpreparation by the Administrative OfficeY2K project team, as well as court staff,

Increasing Efficiency and Streamlining OperationsInformation Technology

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22

paved the way for a smooth transition intothe new century for the Judiciary. Morethan five dozen agency employees and con-tractors were on duty and ready to deal withpotential problems January 1, 2000. A fewminor problems were resolved quickly, andthe roll over to the year 2000 was successfuland uneventful.

Case Management/ElectronicCase Files. Over the next few years, theAdministrative Office will continue a majoreffort to develop and implement the CaseManagement/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system. CM/ECF is replacing the agingexisting case management systems and be-ginning to provide new capabilities for casefiling over the Internet. In-stallation of CM/ECF in 14bankruptcy courts wascompleted or underway bythe end of 2000.

CM/ECF service willbe expanded throughoutfederal courts in the comingyears. The benefits for thecourts and the public in-clude• New case management

capabilities.• Internet access to case

file pleadings.• Immediate docket entries.• Immediate local or remote access from

any location.• No waiting for file room retrieval.• No lost folders or documents.

Infrastructure. Administrative Office staffmade several improvements to theJudiciary’s information technology infra-structure during the year. One of those was tobegin an effort to convert the Data Commu-nications Network (DCN) to frame-relaytechnology. In addition to being more reli-able than the leased-line network, it offersother benefits including affordable rates, im-proved Internet access, and better accommo-dation of new requirements such as the up-coming move to electronic case filing.

E-mail System Replacement. In De-cember 1999, a contract was awarded toIBM/Lotus for the Judiciary-wide implemen-tation of the Lotus Domino/Notes electronic

mail product to replace

the existing cc:Mail infrastructure and othere-mail systems currently installed through-out the courts. During the year, Administra-tive Office staff developed a detailed migra-tion plan and contracted with an outsideconsultant to conduct an independent as-

Privacy and Public Accessto Electronic Case Files

Privacy and public access to electronic case files continues to be a topic of interest to the Judiciary. Admin-istrative Office staff conducted extensive research on this issue in 2000 and provided it to members of theSubcommittee on Privacy and Public Access to Electronic Case Files. Staff continue to monitor efforts inCongress to pass legislation dealing with electronic privacy issues as well as the efforts of state court sys-tems. A new web site, www.privacy.uscourts.gov, was set up to detail various policy options and to en-courage public comment.

CM/ECF service will be expandedthroughout federal courts in thecoming years. New capabilitieswill mean no waiting for file roomretrieval, seen here, and no lostfolders and documents.

Information Technology

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sessment of the project’s progress. Agencystaff expect to complete the transition to Lo-tus Notes by October 2001.

Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing. Elec-tronic bankruptcy noticing functions like asophisticated e-mail system, eliminating theproduction and mailing of paper notices. Itspeeds public service while eliminating post-age costs. In June 2000, the Judiciary beganoffering Internet e-mail and fax options.

Electronic bankruptcy noticing usageincreased each month in fiscal year 2000,and comprised about 2 percent of the overall

monthly notice vol-ume by year’s end.

Server BackupSoftware. The Ad-ministrative Officecompleted licensingfor Veritas serverbackup software,which provides 24-

hour-a-day call-in support. The new soft-ware, Backup Exec, provides high perfor-mance, reliable data protection for serverson the Data Communications Network. Dis-tribution of the software to the courts wascompleted in September.

Computer Security. Agency staff estab-lished the Judiciary Automated Systems Inci-dent Response Capability, which is a team

that helps courts investigate andresolve computer security inci-dents. A number of alerts weresent out to court systems manag-ers during the year, which helpedstaff protect the Judiciary’s net-works and systems from virusesthat affected other organizations.

Financial AccountingSystem for Tomorrow(FAS4T). FAS

4T provides the Ju-

diciary with a single integratedfinancial system that meets fed-

eral accounting system standards. At the endof fiscal year 2000, FAS

4T was operating in 19

districts and one circuit court. Twenty instal-lations are anticipated for fiscal year 2001.

Jury Management System. By the endof fiscal year 2000, 44 courts were using theJury Management System. Nationwide imple-mentation of the system is expected by De-cember 2001. The automated software sys-tem performs jury management and controlfunctions, including maintenance of data-bases necessary for the random selection ofprospective jurors for service, daily adminis-tration of the jury process, and production ofdata and statistical reports.

Anti-Virus Software. A new two-year li-cense agreement provides for software up-grades and technical support for the NortonAntiVirus products for desktops, gateways,firewalls, and file servers running the Novelland Microsoft operating systems. The con-tract, negotiated by Administrative Officestaff, will produce savings in software acqui-sition costs and reduce the technical com-plexity of maintaining anti-virus protection.Distribution to the courts was completed inDecember.

Civil/Criminal Accounting Module.The Administrative Office is developing acivil/criminal accounting module that inte-grates with the Financial Accounting System

Court staff, working at the AdministrativeOffice e-mail project lab, prepare for themigration to the Judiciary’s new e-mailsystem. Agency staff expect to completethe transition to Lotus Notes by October2001.

E-mail System Replacement

“Electronic bankruptcynoticing usage increased eachmonth in fiscal year 2000, andcomprised about 2 percent ofthe overall monthly noticevolume by year’s end.”

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for Tomorrow (FAS4T). The module will pro-

vide for the effective financial managementof civil, criminal, and cash receipting activi-ties in federal courts.

Criminal Justice Act (CJA) PanelAttorney Payment System. The CJAPanel Attorney Payment System replaces theantiquated system for payment of CJA panelattorneys and related service providers. Allcourts began using the new system in fiscalyear 2000.

Statistical File Transfer Protocol. Ad-ministrative Office staff improved the auto-matic transfer of monthly statistical datafrom the courts. Existing automated systemswere enhanced to incorporate the File Trans-fer Protocol feature, which enables thecourts to transfer monthly statistical datafrom their Unix machines to the Administra-tive Office mainframe computer. In addition,a new mechanism for returning monthlystatistical reports to the courts was put intoeffect. Courts now have the capability to re-ceive automated responses immediately viae-mail.

Civil Justice Reform ActReporting. The Civil JusticeReform Act of 1990 (CJRA)provides that data on variouscivil matters pending beforedistrict judges and magistratejudges must be reported toCongress. In 2000, data onSocial Security appeal casespending more than sixmonths were added to theCJRA reports, which previ-ously had presented data onlyon motions, bench trials,three-year-old cases, andbankruptcy appeals. Of the 94U.S. district courts, 90 courts now use eitherthe Integrated Case Management System(ICMS) or some other automated means tosubmit their CJRA data to the Administrative

Office. All 12 circuit executives’ offices nowhave access to the CJRA reporting systemthrough the Web/CHASER CJRA software pro-gram.

Computer Assisted Legal Research.The Administrative Office awarded a contractextension for computer assisted legal re-search services to West Group for the fullrange of research services (legal research,newspapers and journals, and publicrecords) and a similar extension to Lexis-Nexis for the limited contract in place fornewspapers and journals services, for an-other four years, through September 30,2004. Pricing arrangements under the newcontract are more favorable than in the past.As a result, CALR expenditures over the nextfour years will be significantly less than theywould if the current pricing arrangementshad been extended.

Administrative Office staff improved theautomatic transfer of monthly statisticaldata from the courts. Existing automatedsystems were enhanced to incorporatethe File Transfer Protocol feature, whichenables the courts to transfer monthlystatistical data from their Unix machinesto the Administrative Office’s mainframecomputer.

Statistical File Transfer

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IN PROFILE: The Administrative Office

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

IN PROFILE: The Administrative Office

Statutory Authority28 U.S.C. §§ 601-612. Congress established the Administrative Office of the U.S.Courts in 1939 to provide administrative support to federal courts.

SupervisionThe Director of the Administrative Office carries out statutory responsibilities andother duties under the supervision and direction of the principal policy-making bodyof the Judiciary, the Judicial Conference of the United States, and its Executive Com-mittee. In addition, the Conference Committee on the Administrative Office overseesgenerally the agency’s operations.

Responsibilities• All responsibility for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts is vested in the Di-

rector, who is the chief administrative officer for the federal courts. Under his direc-tion, the agency carries out the following functions:

• Implements the policies of the Judicial Conference of the United States and supportsits network of 24 committees (including advisory and special committees) by provid-ing staff to plan meetings; develop agendas; prepare reports; and provide substantiveanalytical support to the development of issues, projects, and recommendations.

• Supports about 2,000 judicial officers—active and senior appellate and districtcourt judges, bankruptcy judges, and magistrate judges.

• Advises court administrators regarding procedural and administrative matters.

• Provides program leadership and support for circuit executives, clerks of court, staffattorneys, probation and pretrial services officers, federal defenders, circuit librar-ians, conference attorneys/circuit mediators, bankruptcy administrators, and othercourt employees.

• Provides centralized core administrative functions such as payroll, personnel, and ac-counting services.

• Administers the Judiciary’s unique personnel systems and monitors its equal em-ployment opportunity program.

• Develops and executes the budget and provides guidance to courts for local budgetexecution.

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• Defines resource requirements through fore-casts of caseloads, work-measurement analy-ses, assessment of program changes, and re-views of individual court requirements.

• Provides legislative counsel and services to theJudiciary; acts as liaison with the legislativeand executive branches.

• Prepares manuals and a variety of other publi-cations.

• Collects and analyzes detailed statistics on theworkload of the courts.

• Monitors and reviews the performance of pro-grams and use of resources.

• Conducts education and training programs.

• Audits the courts’ financial operations.

• Handles public affairs for the Judiciary, re-sponding to numerous inquiries from Congress,the media, and the public.

• Develops new ways for handling court business,and provides assistance to court employees tohelp them implement programs and improveoperations.

• Develops and supports automated systems andtechnologies used throughout the courts.

• Coordinates with the General Services Admin-istration the construction and management ofthe Judiciary’s space and facilities.

• Monitors the U.S. Marshals Service’s imple-mentation of the Judicial Facilities SecurityProgram, including court security officers, andexecutes security policy for the Judiciary.

Organization

DirectorLeonidas Ralph Mecham273-3000

Serves as the chief executive of the Administra-tive Office, Secretary to the Judicial Conference,and ex officio member of the Executive Commit-tee of the Judicial Conference and member ofthe Board of Directors of the Federal JudicialCenter.

Associate Director,Management and OperationsClarence A. Lee, Jr.273-3015

Chief advisor to the Director on management,strategic, and tactical planning and operationalmatters; ensures that activities of all agency ele-ments are functioning in support of the Director’sgoals; oversees audit and review activities.

Associate Director and General CounselWilliam R. Burchill, Jr.502-1100

Provides legal counsel and services to the Direc-tor and staff of the Administrative Office and tothe Judicial Conference; responds to legal inquir-ies from judges and other court officials regard-ing court operations; represents agency in bidprotests and other administrative litigation.

Judicial Conference ExecutiveSecretariatKaren K. Siegel, Assistant Director502-2400

Coordinates the agency’s performance of the stafffunctions required by the Judicial Conference andits committees; maintains the official files of theJudicial Conference; and responds to judges andother court personnel regarding Conference activi-ties.

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Legislative AffairsMichael W. Blommer, Assistant Director502-1700

Provides legislative counsel and services to theJudiciary; maintains liaison with the legislativebranch; manages the coordination of matters af-fecting the Judiciary with the states, legal enti-ties, and other organizations; develops and pro-duces judicial impact statements.

Public AffairsDavid A. Sellers, Assistant Director502-2600

Carries out public-information, communityoutreach, and communications programs forthe federal Judiciary; handles media inquiriesand relations; manages publications efforts forthe Administrative Office.

Court ProgramsNoel J. Augustyn, Assistant Director502-1500

Provides support to the courts for federal defend-ers, probation and pretrial services officers, clerksof court, circuit executives, staff attorneys, confer-ence attorneys, court reporters, interpreters, andbankruptcy administrators including the develop-ment of budgets, allocation of resources, andmanagement of national programs.

Facilities and SecurityRoss Eisenman, Assistant Director502-1200

Manages services provided to the courts in theareas of court security and space and facilities,and serves as the primary contact on real prop-erty administration matters with the GeneralServices Administration.

Finance and BudgetGeorge H. Schafer, Assistant Director502-2000

Manages the budget, accounting, and financial sys-tems of the Judiciary; prepares financial analyses onJudiciary programs; manages relocation and travelservices for the courts; and serves as the Judiciary’spoint of contact for Congress on budget matters.

Human Resources and StatisticsAlton C. Ressler, Assistant Director502-1170

Manages services provided to the courts in theareas of statistics, personnel, payroll, health andretirement benefits, workforce development,and dispute resolution.

Information TechnologyMelvin J. Bryson, Acting Assistant Director502-2300

Administers the information technology programof the Judiciary: its planning, technology, andresource allocations; applications development,maintenance, and support; testing and research.

Internal ServicesLaura C. Minor, Assistant Director502-4200

Manages the Judiciary’s procurement function;provides administrative support and services tothe Administrative Office in areas such as bud-get, facilities, personnel, information technologyand information management; and administersthe Administrative Office’s Equal EmploymentOpportunity programs.

Judges ProgramsPeter G. McCabe, Assistant Director502-1800

Oversees the formulation and promulgation offederal rules of practice and procedure; deliverslegal and administrative services to judicial of-ficers including Article III judges, bankruptcyjudges and magistrate judges.

Director's Annual Report 2000

Documents

Transcript of Director's Annual Report 2000