NCJ Number
79072
Journal
New York Law School Law Review Volume: 26 Dated: (1981) Pages: 237-262
Date Published
1981
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Federal research in judicial administration is described, with particular attention to the work of the Federal Judicial Center.
Abstract
Judicial administration deserves the attention of both bench and bar. Judicial administration policies affect access to justice by determining whether a just, speedy adjudication occurs within the economic reach of litigants. In 1967, Congress created the Federal Judicial Center within the judicial branch and charged it with the conduct of research into the operation of the courts. The Center's research program aims at being responsive to the needs of the Federal judicial system as perceived from within. Subjects for research may be suggested by circuit councils, particular courts, and even individual judges. The Center studies innovative procedures developed by particular courts to determine whether the innovation should be modified, expanded, continued as is, or abandoned; analyzes and developes alternative approaches to administrative problems; and creates new tools for use in judicial administration. The Center has adopted its approach of being responsive to needs perceived from within the system out of its belief that when personnel and entities within the judicial system raise the issues for research, findings are more likely to be considered and implemented in policy than if research were initiated from outside the system. Some specific examples of Center research, the risks inherent in in-house research, and the role of the academic community in such research are also discussed. A total of 71 footnotes are listed.