NCJ Number
120833
Journal
Law and Contemporary Problems Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: (Summer 1988) Pages: 31-53
Date Published
1988
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This discussion of the creation of the Federal Judicial Center, the Federal courts' research and education agency, indicates that many interests seek to control internal research activity in the judicial branch.
Abstract
The actual development of the Judicial Center has been somewhat different from what its legislative history would suggest. Thus, instead of a small organization with a transitory staff, it now has almost 100 authorized personnel positions and has had low turnover in professional positions. The history of the Center's creation also indicates that quantitative research is not a purely mechanical activity, because it is influenced by those who control the research apparatus. In addition, differences of opinion on how courts should be administered occur within a larger framework of agreement on basic principles. Furthermore, the give and take of the legislative process can achieve accommodation and adjustment among competing views. However, the leadership of the judicial branch is the main peace influence conceiving and promoting the idea of research on the judiciary. Finally, the Center's history also shows that fortuitous circumstances have a role in producing change. 144 footnotes.