Report of the Proceedings of the Judicial Conference
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-REPORTOF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 16, 1999 WASHINGTON, D.C. JUDICIAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES CHIEFJUSTICE WILLIAM H. REHNQUIST, PRESIDING LEONIDAS RALPH MECHAM, SECRETARY REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES March 16, 1999 Contents Call of the Conference........................... ......... ....4 Reports ...................................... ........ ....4 Elections...................................... .......... ....4 Executive Committee............................ .... ... ...4 Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance ........ .......... ....5 Budgetary Matters......................... .... .... ..6 Federal Courts Improvement Legislation ......... .... ... ...6 Miscellaneous Actions...................... ......... ....7 Committee on the Administrative Office .............. ......... ....7 Committee Activities....................... .......... ....8 Committee on Automation and Technology ........... ......... ....8 Courtroom Technologies .................... ...... ... 8 Long Range Plan for Information Technology. ....... ... 8 Access to Internet Sites .................... Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System .............. .9 Bankruptcy Judgeships ................................... .9 Bankruptcy Estate Administration ........................... 10 Committee on the Budget....................................... Committee Activities..................................... Committee on Codes of Conduct.................................. Committee Activities..................................... Committee on Court Administration and Case Management ............. 12 Program for Prompt Disposition of Protracted, Difficult, or Widely Publicized Cases ............................ 12 Bankruptcy Noticing Guidelines ............................ 13 Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals ........................... 14 Committee on Criminal Law ................................ ...........................14 Home Confinement Program Monograph ................. ...........................14 Pretrial Services Investigation and Report Monograph ......... ...........................15 Operation Drug TEST ............................... ..........................15 Committee on Defender Services.................................. 15 Disclosure of Criminal Justice Act Payments .................... 15 Defender Organization Funding Requests ....................... 16 Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction............................. 16 Year 2000 Legislation .................................... 16 Committee on Financial Disclosure ................................ 17 Judges' Recusal Obligations................................ 17 Committee Activities ..................................... 18 Committee on Intercircuit Assignments............................. 18 Committee Activities..................................... 18 Committee on International Judicial Relations ......................... 18 Committee Activities ..................................... 18 Committee on the Judicial Branch ................................. 19 Judicial Compensation .................................... 19 Travel Regulations for United States Justices and Judges ............ 19 Relocation Regulations for United States Justices and Judges ........ 20 Committee on Judicial Resources ................................. 21 Article III Judgeship Needs ................................ 21 Judicial Emergencies ..................................... 23 Secretaries to Federal Judges ............................... 23 Death Penalty Law Clerks ................................. 24 Court Reporter Compensation............................... 24 Transcript Rates......................................... 25 Courtroom Support for District Judges ......................... 26 Law Clerks for Magistrate Judges............................ 26 Bankruptcy Administrators ................................ 26 Recruitment and Retention Bonuses.......................... 27 Alternative Dispute Resolution Staffing ........................ 27 Telecommuting Policy .................................... 28 Judiciary Benefits Initiative ................................ 28 Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System .......... 29 Selection and Appointment Regulations ........................ 29 Changes in Magistrate Judge Positions ......................... 29 Committee to Review Circuit Council Conduct and Disability Orders ........ 32 Committee Activities ..................................... 32 Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure........................ 33 Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.......................... 33 Committee on Security and Facilities............................... 34 After-Hours Courthouse Security............................ 34 Public Buildings Reform Legislation .......................... 34 Five-Year Courthouse Project Plan........................... 35 Role of the Committee .................................... 35 Parking Policy...................................... 363 Resolution .................................................. 36 Funding.................................................... 3 REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES March 16, 1999 The Judicial Conference of the United States convened in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 1999, pursuant to the call of the Chief Justice of the United States issued under 28 U.S.C. § 33 1. The Chief Justice presided, and the following members of the Conference were present: First Circuit: Chief Judge Juan R. Torruella Judge Joseph A. DiClerico, Jr., District of New Hampshire Second Circuit: Chief Judge Ralph K. Winter, Jr. Chief Judge Charles P. Sifton, Eastern District of New York Third Circuit: Chief Judge Edward R. Becker Chief Judge Donald E. Ziegler, Western District of Pennsylvania Fourth Circuit: Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson ILL Chief Judge Charles H. Haden II, Southern District of West Virginia Fifth Circuit: Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King Judge Hayden W. Head, Jr., Southern District of Texas Judicial Conference of the United States Sixth Circuit: Chief Judge Boyce F. Martin, Jr. Judge Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr., Middle District of Tennessee Seventh Circuit: Chief Judge Richard A. Posner Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr., Northern District of Indiana Eight Circuit: Chief Judge Pasco M. Bowman 11 Judge James M. Rosenbaum, District of Minnesota Ninth Circuit: Chief Judge Procter Hug, Jr. Judge Lloyd D. George, District of Nevada Tenth Circuit: Chief Judge Stephanie K. Seymour Judge Ralph G. Thompson, Western District of Oklahoma Eleventh Circuit: Chief Judge Joseph W. Hatchett Judge Win. Terrell Hodges, Middle District of Florida 2 March 16, 1999 District of Columbia Circuit: Chief Judge Hanry T. Edwards Chief Judge Norma H. Johnson, District of Columbia Federal Circuit: Chief Judge Haldane Robert Mayer Court of International Trade: Chief Judge Gregory W. Carman Circuit Judges W. Eugene Davis, David R. Hansen, Jane R. Roth, Anthony J. Scirica, David R. Thompson, and Walter K. Stapleton, and District Judges Carol Bagley Amon, Robin J. Cauthron, Julia S. Gibbons, John G. Heybumn IL,D. Brock Homby, George P. Kazen, David Levi, Edward W. Nottingham, Harvey E. Schlesinger, and William J. Zioch attended the Conference session. Collins Fitzpatrick, Circuit Executive for the Seventh Circuit, was also present. Senators Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy, and Representatives Howard Berman, Howard Coble, and John Conyers, Jr., spoke on matters pending in Congress of interest to the Conference. Attorney General Janet Reno addressed the Conference on matters of mutual interest to the judiciary and the Department of Justice. Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, attended the session of the Conference, as did Clarence A. Lee, Jr., Associate Director for Management and Operations; William R. Burchill, Jr., Associate Director and General Counsel; Karen K. Siegel, Assistant Director, Judicial Conference Executive Secretariat; Michael W. Blommer, Assistant Director, Legislative Affairs; Wendy Jennis, Deputy Assistant Director, Judicial Conference Executive Secretariat; and David Sellers, Deputy Assistant Director, Public Affairs. Judge Rya W. Zobel and Russell Wheeler, Director and Deputy Director of the Federal Judicial Center, also attended the session of the Conference, as did James Duff, Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice, and judicial fellows Mary Clark, Paul Fiorelli, Nancy Miller and Christie Warren. 3 Judicial Conference of the United States REPORTS Mr. Mecham reported to the Conference on the judicial business of the courts and on matters relating to the Administrative Office, and Judge Zobel spoke to the Conference about Federal Judicial Center programs. ELECTIONS The Judicial Conference elected to membership on the Board of the Federal Judicial Center Circuit Judge Robert M. Parker of the Fifih Circuit to replace Circuit Judge Bruce Selya and District Judge William H. Yohn, Jr., Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to replace District Judge Richard Matsch. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES' GROUP LIFE INSURANCE The Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance program consists of "basic" life insurance coverage and three categories of "optional" coverage. The Federal Employees' Life Insurance Improvement Act, Public Law No. 105-311, extends to all federal employees the ability, previously enjoyed