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United States Judicial Conference of the United States: Difference between revisions
United States Judicial Conference of the United States (view source)
Revision as of 00:35, 26 January 2025
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Chief Justice [[William Howard Taft]], appointed to the Supreme Court in 1921, had led a public campaign for federal judicial reform since leaving the White House in 1913. Taft proposed the appointment of at-large judges, what he called a "flying squadron", that could be assigned temporarily to congested courts. In Taft's plan, a conference of judges would serve primarily to assess the caseload of the lower courts and assign the at-large judges to courts in need. Taft, supported by a group of federal judges and legal scholars, hoped that the establishment of a more efficient federal judiciary would deflect the efforts of [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[George W. Norris]] and others who advocated an end to [[life tenure]] on the federal bench and the restriction of the lower federal courts' [[jurisdiction]]. | Chief Justice [[William Howard Taft]], appointed to the Supreme Court in 1921, had led a public campaign for federal judicial reform since leaving the White House in 1913. Taft proposed the appointment of at-large judges, what he called a "flying squadron", that could be assigned temporarily to congested courts. In Taft's plan, a conference of judges would serve primarily to assess the caseload of the lower courts and assign the at-large judges to courts in need. Taft, supported by a group of federal judges and legal scholars, hoped that the establishment of a more efficient federal judiciary would deflect the efforts of [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[George W. Norris]] and others who advocated an end to [[life tenure]] on the federal bench and the restriction of the lower federal courts' [[jurisdiction]]. | ||
By the time Taft became Chief Justice, the increased caseload resulting from | By the time Taft became Chief Justice, the increased caseload resulting from World War I and the enforcement of [[Prohibition]] had contributed to broad support for reform of the federal judiciary. Assuming a role as leader of the judiciary as well as the Supreme Court, Taft joined with [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Harry M. Daugherty]] and appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to urge legislation. A large majority in Congress agreed with the need for reform, but both the Senate and the House of Representatives insisted on revising Taft's proposals so that they conformed more closely to the traditions of the federal judiciary. | ||
Congress established an annual conference of the [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice of the United States]] (or the senior associate justice if the chief is unable), and the [[senior circuit judge]] (now called the chief judge) from each judicial circuit and charged the conference with a general mandate to advise on the administrative needs of the federal courts. The act required the senior judge in each district to prepare an annual report of the business of the district's court. The conference would use these reports to prepare suggestions for the temporary transfer of judges, pending the approval of all courts involved. This expansion of the authority to transfer judges fell far short of Taft's concept of a permanent corps of at-large judges. Congress established 24 temporary judgeships, but adhered to the principle of fixed residency for district judges. Congress also declined to make the attorney general a member of the conference, although the act permitted the chief justice to request the attorney general to report on the business of the courts. Even without a formal relationship with Congress or the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (which then administered the federal courts), the conference offered the judiciary a means of communicating its administrative needs. | Congress established an annual conference of the [[Chief Justice of the United States|chief justice of the United States]] (or the senior associate justice if the chief is unable), and the [[senior circuit judge]] (now called the chief judge) from each judicial circuit and charged the conference with a general mandate to advise on the administrative needs of the federal courts. The act required the senior judge in each district to prepare an annual report of the business of the district's court. The conference would use these reports to prepare suggestions for the temporary transfer of judges, pending the approval of all courts involved. This expansion of the authority to transfer judges fell far short of Taft's concept of a permanent corps of at-large judges. Congress established 24 temporary judgeships, but adhered to the principle of fixed residency for district judges. Congress also declined to make the attorney general a member of the conference, although the act permitted the chief justice to request the attorney general to report on the business of the courts. Even without a formal relationship with Congress or the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (which then administered the federal courts), the conference offered the judiciary a means of communicating its administrative needs. | ||