Administrative Office of the U.S.
Courts
The administration of the federal
judicial system as a whole is managed
by the Administrative Office of the
U.S. Courts. Since its creation in 1939
it has handled everything from
distributing supplies to negotiating
with other government agencies for
court accommodations in federal
buildings to maintaining judicial personnel records and collecting data
on cases in the federal courts.
The Administrative Office also
serves the Judicial Conference of the
United States, the central administrative policy-making organization of the
federal judicial system. In addition to
providing statistical information to
the conference’s many committees,
the Administrative Office acts as a
reception center and clearinghouse
for information and proposals directed to the Judicial Conference. The
office also acts as liaison for both the
federal judicial system and the Judicial
Conference, serving as advocate for
the judiciary in its dealings with
Congress, the executive branch, professional groups, and the general
public. Especially important is its
representative role before Congress
where, along with concerned judges, it
presents the judiciary’s budget proposals, requests for additional judgeships, suggestions for changes in court
rules, and other key measures.
The Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center, created in
1967, is the federal courts’ agency for
continuing education and research. Its
duties fall generally into three categories: conducting research on the
federal courts, making recommendations to improve the administration
and management of the federal
courts, and developing educational
and training programs for personnel
of the judicial branch.
Since its inception, judges have
benefited from orientation sessions
and other educational programs put
on by the Federal Judicial Center. In
recent years, magistrate judges, bankruptcy judges, and administrative personnel have also been the recipients of
educational programs. The Federal Judicial Center’s extensive use of videos
and satellite technology allows it to
reach large numbers of people.