New U.S. Magistrate Judges Jessica S. Allen, Matthew J. Skahill, André M. Espinosa, Sharon A. King, José R. Almonte, Rukhsanah L. Singh, and Elizabeth A. Pascal were formally sworn in to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey. Credit: Sean Sime.
Seven experienced lawyers of diverse backgrounds were formally sworn in to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey, during a recent special group investiture ceremony. The new U.S. magistrate judges include four women, and appointees with diverse cultural ancestry from Pakistan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad.
“Our newest magistrate judges echo our tradition of appointing incredibly talented individuals to the bench who also look like and reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve in this district,” said Chief Judge Freda L. Wolfson, of the District of New Jersey.
A court reflective of the community it serves instills public confidence…
Chief Judge Freda L. Wolfson, District of New Jersey
In an unusual investiture ceremony, all seven new judges were sworn in simultaneously due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed many of the individual ceremonies that the court had planned during the last two years. This is the first time any district court in the Third Circuit has conducted a group investiture ceremony of this scale, Wolfson said.
Magistrate judges play an important role in the judicial process, helping district judges in criminal and civil matters by handling complaints, issuing search warrants, holding preliminary hearings, and much more. Unlike district judges, who are nominated by the President and confirmed to life terms by the Senate, magistrate judges are appointed to eight-year terms by a majority vote of the active district judges of a court.
“The diversity in the selection of the new magistrate judges is a credit to our Merit Selection Panels, composed of lawyers and community members of diverse experiences and backgrounds, who made recommendations to our court, and then ultimately, to our district judges, who made these selections,” Wolfson said. “A court reflective of the community it serves instills public confidence, and the District of New Jersey is walking the walk.”
The bankruptcy process can provide a fresh financial start for consumers who cannot pay their debts, either because of insolvency or insufficient income to meet creditor demands. Personal bankruptcy generally works in one of two ways: liquidating assets to pay one’s debts under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or establishing a repayment plan under Chapter 13 of the code.1
Under a Chapter 7 liquidation, a debtor generally can achieve a fresh financial start more quickly than under a Chapter 13 repayment plan, which can last up to five years.2 However, under Chapter 13, a debtor may be able to save a home from foreclosure, reschedule secured debts and extend them over the life of a Chapter 13 plan (possibly lowering the payments or interest rates), and consolidate debt payments to a trustee who then handles distribution to creditors.
Both nonbusiness and business bankruptcies are available. This article focuses solely on nonbusiness filings as nonbusiness bankruptcies accounted for 97 percent of bankruptcies during the 12-month reporting periods ending Sept. 30, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2021.
Facts and Figures
In the 16-year span from Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2021, about 15.3 million nonbusiness bankruptcy petitions were filed in the federal courts (i.e., filings involving mainly consumer debt). Of those, 10.3 million – 67 percent of total nonbusiness filings – were filed under Chapter 7, and 5 million – 32 percent of total nonbusiness filings – were filed under Chapter 13 (Table 1).3
In 2005, Congress enacted the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), which among other things, instituted a means test to move some filers away from filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 and toward filing under Chapter 13. An individual or couple filing jointly may file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 only if their debts are primarily consumer debt and their monthly income over six months prior to filing for bankruptcy is below the state median for a similar household, or if the debtor’s monthly disposable income falls below a threshold established by a statutory means test.
The capacity for debt is often driven by recessionary periods. For example, after the Great Recession, which lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, overall bankruptcy filings accelerated. As the economy regained strength and consumer spending patterns remained in check, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcy filings declined steadily through 2019 (Figure 1 and Figure 2).
However, bankruptcy filing patterns have yet to mimic past patterns during the current period of economic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such economic stress caused by the pandemic includes, but is not limited to, periods of record high unemployment, negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and an increased demand for health and fiscal responses from government entities. At the onset of the pandemic, during the first half of 2020, Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcy filings declined markedly, with the decline in Chapter 13 filings being the more pronounced (Figure 2).
The percentage of total filings that Chapter 7 filings represented consistently declined from 2010 to 2019, whereas the percentage of filings under Chapter 13 increased within the same period. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the reverse trend is observed as the percentage of total filings that Chapter 7 filings represented began to increase while the percentage of filings under Chapter 13 filings decreased (Figure 3).
The steep decline in Chapter 13 filings in 2020 (Figure 2) corresponds to the decline in mortgage foreclosure filings. The foreclosure filing rate went from 0.36 percent in 2019 to 0.16 percent in 2020 as reported by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).4 Furthermore, eviction moratoriums slowed the rate of evictions.5 Moreover, consumer debt levels also fell following the start of the pandemic.6 With initiatives such as the CARES Act and other protection programs prohibiting evictions and foreclosures through July 31, 2021, foreclosure and eviction rates could return to pre-pandemic levels once protections were no longer a factor. Concurrent with the increase in consumer spending, there was an increase in disposable income. At this time, the direction or pace of these metrics is unclear.
While the percentage change of both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings declined across most federal court districts in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2021, compared to 2019 (Map 1 and Map 2), districts in the South were disproportionately affected by the decline in Chapter 13 filings.7 As shown in Map 3, the federal districts in which Chapter 13 nonbusiness bankruptcy filings constituted the highest percentage of total nonbusiness bankruptcy filings from 2006 to 2021 were concentrated in the South.8 The Southern District of Georgia had the highest percentage of Chapter 13 filings as a percentage of total nonbusiness bankruptcy cases at 74 percent, followed by the Middle District of Alabama, in which Chapter 13 consumer filings accounted for 70 percent of total nonbusiness filings. The illustration in Map 4 further indicates that many of the districts with the highest count of Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcies were also located in the South.9
Nonbusiness Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings per thousand population also varied by chapter.10 Per thousand population Chapter 7 filings were highest in distinct areas in the West, Midwest, and Southeast regions of the United States. The highest filings per thousand population occurred in Nevada (2.2 filings) and the lowest in Alaska (0.4 filings) (Map 5). However, per thousand population Chapter 13 filings were more prevalent in the Southeast region of the United States. The largest share of per thousand population Chapter 13 filings occurred in Alabama (2.5 filings) and the smallest was in Alaska (0.1 filings) (Map 6). Although Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings per thousand population were both high for the Southeast region of the United States, this area was highest for Chapter 13 filings.
Based on the most recent results of the American Community Survey (ACS-2019), the states with the highest rates of Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings per household were Nevada, Illinois, and Ohio (each at 0.006 filings) (Map 7). The highest rates of Chapter 13 filings were in Alabama (0.009 filings), Tennessee (0.007 filings), and Georgia (0.007 filings) (Map 8).
Figures and Maps
Note: Click on the tabs below to view the figures and maps.
1 Other types of bankruptcy include: Chapter 11 (Reorganization/Individual/Small Business), Chapter 12 (Family Farmers or Fishermen), Chapter 15 (Cross-Border Cases), Chapter 9 (Municipalities). Some individuals use Chapter 11 to obtain relief.
2 CARES Act (subsequently extended by the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act) permitted debtors in plans confirmed prior to March 27, 2021, experiencing COVID-19-related hardship could move to extend their plans to up to 7 years. See Section 1113(b)(1)(C) of the CARES Act.
3 The remaining 1 percent of Nonbusiness filings were petitions under Chapter 11.
4 Source: Mortgage Bankers Association, National Delinquency Survey, Q3 2020.
9 Per capita count of Chapter 13 consumer bankruptcies were high in the Central District of California and Northern District of Illinois because of the large size of those courts.
10 Source: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States (NST-EST2020).
Personal and business bankruptcy filings took a sharp drop in the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2022, falling 17.7 percent compared with the previous year.
According to statistics released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, annual bankruptcy filings totaled 380,634 in the year ending June 2022, compared with 462,309 cases in the previous year.
Business filings fell 31.1 percent, from 18,511 to 12,748 in the year ending June 30, 2022. Non-business bankruptcy filings fell 17.1 percent to 367,886, compared with 443,798 in the previous year.
Bankruptcy filings have fallen almost steadily since peaking in 2010. That trend has accelerated since the pandemic began in early 2020, despite some early COVID-related disruptions to the economy.
Business and Non-Business Filings, Years Ending June 30, 2018-2022
Year
Business
Non-Business
Total
2022
12,748
367,886
380,634
2021
18,511
443,798
462,309
2020
22,482
659,881
682,363
2019
22,483
750,878
773,361
2018
22,245
753,333
775,578
Total Bankruptcy Filings By Chapter, Years Ending June 30, 2018-2022
Year
Chapter
7
11
12
13
2022
239,750
4,429
201
136,169
2021
335,886
6,871
438
118,864
2020
436,919
7,568
589
237,099
2019
475,069
7,193
542
290,416
2018
479,151
7,141
475
288,741
The following bankruptcy filings statistics tables are available:
Business and non-business bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2022 (Table F-2, 12-Month),
A comparison of 12-month data ending June 2021 and June 2022 (Table F),
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A new interactive timeline, created by the Federal Judicial Center, depicts the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of the Judicial Conference of the United States over the last century.
The Judicial Conference was initially created to give judges a formal mechanism to report on the business of the courts and communicate the Judiciary’s administrative needs to Congress. Today it serves as the Judiciary’s national policy-making body and maintains more than 20 committees that focus on a wide range of administrative and policy issues. These include bankruptcy, case management, judicial conduct, information technology, space and facilities, and rules of practice and procedure.
Since the first meeting was held at the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 28, 1922, at the call of Chief Justice William Howard Taft, the Conference has grappled with many issues, including rising court caseloads and limited resources, natural disasters, public-health crises, and the safety of the Judiciary and the public.
“Chief Justice Taft was prescient in recognizing the need for the Judiciary to manage its internal affairs, both to promote informed administration and to ensure independence of the Branch,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said in his 2021 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.
The timeline can be accessed at a newly updated section about the Judicial Conference. Other features include links to summary reports of Judicial Conference meetings; how the Conference is organized; the Conference’s roster of committees; and information about the Conference’s history.
Federal probation and pretrial officers from across the country are gathering this week in Atlanta for a national conference on officer wellness, an issue that has gotten increasing attention in recent years, particularly after the protracted coronavirus pandemic raised stress levels for officers in the field.
The conference is being held July 19 to 21 during National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, which is honored annually during the third calendar week of July to recognize the public service of community corrections professionals.
The theme of this year’s conference is Wellness 365, and the program focuses on problems that can affect the mental health and well-being of probation and pretrial officers. Organizers are providing training that can be implemented in court districts across the county and a forum to share knowledge about new strategies to foster officer wellness.
Probation and pretrial services officers often work in unsafe environments, late at night, or on weekends and holidays. They supervise people recently released from prison or awaiting trial, with the aim of helping them stay out of trouble. The pandemic put additional strains on officers as face-to-face interactions with clients became more difficult and put them at greater health risks.
“Probation and pretrial services officers work under challenging and stressful conditions, and it’s critical that we take the steps to protect them from both the physical threats they face and other risks to their well-being,” said John Fitzgerald, chief of the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, which is a part of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. “Giving officers the skills to boost their resilience will keep them safe, productive, and engaged. Hopefully, our wellness programs can be a tool for staff recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. But most of all, we hope it keeps staff safe.”
The conference is among several initiatives undertaken by the office in recent years to safeguard officer wellness. It formed a Wellness Working Group, comprised of wellness advocates from probation and pretrial staff from across the country.
In April, the working group launched a wellness application designed to be easy to navigate and confidential. The app, easy to download to a cell phone, provides access to self-assessments, lists of local treatment providers that work with people in law enforcement, and information on the AO’s employee assistance program and suicide prevention and awareness resources.
David Congdon, the chair of the Wellness Working Group, said, “Not only do staff of U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services now have immediate access to numerous wellness resources 24-7-365, they can also locate that information in a very private setting. To date, the feedback to the app has been tremendous.”
The working group also maintains a website with wellness resources, guidance on developing in-district localized programs, and a directory of subject-matter experts. The site serves as a clearinghouse for wellness programs and Critical Incident Stress Management teams, which are trained in crisis intervention methods to help employees and their families cope with traumatic events. The group’s quarterly newsletter, Wellness Wisdom, disseminates information to officers in the system’s 94 court districts.
Many districts have established local programs aimed at fostering officer wellness. For example, in the Northern District of California based in San Francisco, there are regular town halls held for officers to discuss a wide variety of topics with their peers.
“Some of the town halls have gotten into some pretty deep, really emotional topics. Sometimes it’s the stress of the job or the social justice issues that people feel strongly about, or maybe it’s about a death in the court family we have experienced,” said Silvio Lugo, the district’s chief pretrial services officer. “You don’t have to show up, but they’re there. And it’s an opportunity to connect with your supervisor or your colleagues, or just to share whatever you want to share.”
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Visitors to the new courthouse in downtown Nashville may arrive with nothing but court business in mind, but some of them leave feeling inspired by the work of Leo Friedlander, the mid-century artist known for his prominent public commissions.
Two plaster panels placed on either end of the sixth-floor corridor of the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building are full-scale models of never-completed granite reliefs that Friedlander designed in 1950 to flank the entrance of the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and Courthouse Annex in Nashville. The plaster panels were long forgotten in storage in the old federal building until 1989, when they were rediscovered. They were restored, and now reside in the new Fred D. Thompson building that opened in May.
Several new courthouses coming online as a result of a $948 million investment by Congress in recent years are similarly getting an aesthetic touch thanks to the federal government’s Art in Architecture program. Run by the General Services Administration (GSA), the agency responsible for building courthouses and other federal buildings, the program makes it possible to display museum-quality artwork in places frequented by the public “to create a lasting cultural legacy for the nation,” the GSA says.
“At their best, public art projects at courthouses invite those who are passing by or through the courthouse to pause and reflect on that art. It may draw a smile or an angling of the head,” said U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick, who chairs the Judicial Conference’s Space and Facilities Committee. “The projects can reflect the history and flavor of the region. They can honor the identity of the community in a way to make its residents proud. And they can tie a federal building to the very local community in which it sits.”
The artists are chosen from a National Artist Registry, a database of American artists who have submitted samples of their work to be reviewed by panels of experts for possible selection. Artists who receive commissions work with the building architects and others in a collaborative design team to integrate the artwork into the overall plan for a building. The program is funded by setting aside one half of 1 percent of a project’s estimated construction cost for the art.
The Friedlander installation in Nashville is imbued with local history and meaning. On one end of the corridor, a mural-sized relief titled State Pride illustrates important industries in Tennessee, with a factory on the left and a hydroelectric dam on the right. The companion panel at the opposite end of the corridor depicts the allegorical figure of Justice presiding over an idyllic landscape, with the dome of the U.S. Capitol in the background.
Friedlander was a sculpture professor at New York University who designed reliefs representing radio and television for the Rockefeller Center in 1939 and the two 1951 massive bronze sculptures titled Valor and Sacrifice, featuring the ancient Roman god of war on horseback, at the entrance to the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.
A visually spectacular, second installation at the Nashville courthouse is incorporated into the soaring dome that is the first thing people notice when entering the courthouse. Artist Alyson Shotz designed a mosaic for the dome ceiling of the undulating folds in the robes of Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice who is often depicted wearing flowing robes in classical sculpture and oil painting. The mosaic consists of millions of separate pieces of glass juxtaposed to create the image of Justitia’s robes.
District Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger, who was involved in the courthouse project, said, “Visitors are immediately enveloped by the mosaic in the rotunda as they enter the new space, which personifies the goal on the rotunda’s terrazzo floor ‘To Administer Equal Justice to the Poor and to the Rich.’”
Other recent art installations in new courthouses likewise strive to incorporate civic meaning and familiar concepts in the American justice system.
San Antonio, Texas
A vibrant mural by artist Thomas Glassford serves as a visual focal point for the courthouse atrium. The title Riparian Nexus means a “network of waterways,” inspired by the local landscape. Credit: Robert Gomez.
Laredo-born artist Thomas Glassford designed twin suspended sculptures for the Western District of Texas courthouse, one hung on the outside of the building and one on the inside, both viewable through a floor to ceiling window. The exterior work is a gilded-bronze abstract sculpture and the interior work consists of a string of colorful glass forms that drop from the atrium ceiling. Viewed together, they represent the scales of justice.
A second work by the artist is a large mural in the atrium, a central gathering point in the new courthouse. Glassford used current and historical maps of San Antonio-area roads and waterways as his inspiration for the abstract painting. The courthouse is adjacent to San Pedro Creek, the source for 45 miles of manmade irrigation channels that fueled the growth of San Antonio, known for its downtown River Walk.
District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, who helped guide the courthouse project, said that the inclusion of the city’s famous waterways in the piece speaks to him of “letting justice flow like rivers of righteousness.”
Rodriguez likes the idea that the mural sits right below the jury assembly area, creating an allegory to justice flowing from juries to people seeking justice in court. The mural and the sculptures also add much-needed color to the interior space, he said.
“Courthouses can oftentimes be intimidating places,” he said. “Adding art elements can make the courthouse feel more welcoming and accessible. The mural adds vibrancy and color to the space, yet it’s respectful and has meaning to the community that the courthouse serves.”
Charlotte, North Carolina
Seven mosaic works by artist Ellen Driscoll grace the outside walls of the new courthouse annex, allowing all who pass to view snippets of everyday life in North Carolina. Credit: Sean Busher.
The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building underwent a major renovation and an annex was added to the circa 1918 structure, work that is slated to be completed in the fall. Brooklyn-based artist Ellen Driscoll created a seven-panel mosaic for the exterior of the annex, with each panel depicting historically significant aspects of life in the Western District of North Carolina.
There are representations of a U.S. Mint office, a postal carrier, children in school, and a military recruitment center where a soldier is shown saluting an American flag. A strand of garland appears at the top of each panel, serving to unite the seven pieces in a single story of the region, anchored by Charlotte.
“The seven mosaics are amazing, and they are especially beautiful when lit at night,” said Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr., the building renovation and project judge for the court. “I believe it will become an iconic part of the city.”
Greenville, South Carolina
Artist Joyce Kozloff created a work celebrating the history of mapmaking and the Upstate South Carolina region’s history as a hub of textile production in the United States. Her suite of 17 ceramic tile and glass mosaic panels depict present-day Google Earth aerial views of textile mills. At the top of each map, the artist painted a textile pattern that was produced at the mill. The maps are paired with textile artwork that was traditionally handmade by women in the region, such as quilts made in the 19th Century.
Incorporating artwork into public spaces dates to the mid-19th Century, when murals and sculptures were commissioned for federal buildings and reflected a bias in favor of European artists and styles, according to GSA’s history of the Art in Architecture program. The New Deal in the 1930s created federal arts programs emphasizing American artists and architects, reflecting “a desire to establish a distinctly American national culture.”
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Federal and state courts reported a combined 6 percent decrease in authorized wiretaps in 2021, compared with 2020, according to the Judiciary’s 2021 Wiretap Report. But arrests and convictions in cases involving electronic surveillance increased.
The report covers wire, oral, or electronic intercepts that were concluded between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021, exclusive of interceptions regulated by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The report is submitted annually to Congress by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
A total of 2,245 wiretaps were reported as authorized in 2021, compared with 2,377 the previous year. Of those, 1,102 were authorized by federal judges, a 15 percent decline from 2020. State judges authorized 1,143 wiretaps, a 6 percent increase from the previous year.
Portable electronic devices, which includes cell phones, accounted for 94 percent of applications for intercepts.
There was a decrease in the number of state wiretaps in which encryption was encountered, with 176 such reports in 2021, compared with 184 in 2020 and 343 in 2019. In 171 of the encrypted state wiretaps reported in 2021, officials were unable to decipher the plain text of messages. A total of 183 federal wiretaps were reported as being encrypted in 2021, of which 161 could not be deciphered.
Drug offenses were the most prevalent type of crime investigated using intercepts. Seventy-nine percent of all wiretap applications in 2021 cited narcotics as one of the offenses under investigation. Conspiracy was the second-most frequently cited crime (11 percent of total applications), and homicide and assault was the third largest category, cited in 5 percent of applications.
A total of 8,314 people were arrested as a result of wiretap investigations in 2021, up 26 percent from 2020, and 946 people were convicted in cases involving wiretaps, up 204 percent from the year before.
The Southern District of Texas authorized the most federal wiretaps, accounting for about 5 percent of applications approved by federal judges. Applications in six states accounted for 80 percent of all wiretaps approved by state judges. Those states were California, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado, and Florida.
Federal and state laws limit the period of surveillance under an original order to 30 days. However, the period can be extended if a judge determines that additional time is justified. A total of 1,437 extensions were authorized in 2021, a decrease of 4 percent from the prior year.
The District of Massachusetts conducted the longest federal intercept that was terminated in 2021. An order was extended 10 times to complete a 330-day wiretap in a narcotics investigation. The longest state-authorized wiretap occurred in Nassau, New York, where an original order was extended 14 times to complete a 383-day wiretap used in a narcotics investigation.
The average cost of a wiretap in 2021 was $161,818, up 35 percent from the year before. The numbers include the cost of installing intercept devices and monitoring communications.
The Administrative Office is required by statute to report annually to Congress by June 30 on the number and nature of wiretaps concluded in the prior year.
No report to the Administrative Office is needed when an order is issued with the consent of one of the principal parties to the communication. No report is required for the use of a pen register unless the pen register is used in conjunction with any other wiretap devices whose use must be recorded.
Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, known by peers for her modesty and work ethic, received the rarest of professional accolades last week, when she became just one of a very few women to have a federal courthouse named in her honor.
U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, underneath the sign of a new courthouse nearing completion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
During a ceremony in Harrisburg, Pa., colleagues praised the example she set as a trailblazing woman judge, and her decades-long role in gaining approval and funding for the new courthouse, which is scheduled to open in February 2023.
“I hope you regard your marathon on this project as worth all the effort, and the frustration too,” said Judge D. Brooks Smith, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. “Your judicial work over many years speaks for itself. This courthouse, which will bear your name, becomes testament to your legacy of vision and persistence.”
Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann, of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, said, “It is altogether fitting and appropriate that a significant public building be named for Judge Rambo in her lifetime. It reflects a permanent, public acknowledgment of the impact that Judge Rambo has had on her community and this district court.”
Characteristically unassuming, Rambo said she was “in total shock” when she was informed last year of an effort to put her name on the new courthouse. President Biden later signed legislation introduced by Pennsylvania U.S. Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, Jr.
“Even as I stand here today, it feels unreal,” Rambo said. “As one of four children raised by a struggling German immigrant mother, I could never have imagined the life that has been bestowed on me, or on my name.”
Rambo, 86, was appointed to the Middle District of Pennsylvania in 1979, as part of a historic class of women federal judges. President Jimmy Carter appointed women to 23 seats in that one year. Only 10 women federal judges had been appointed in the nation’s previous 190 years. Carter, now 97, congratulated her in a letter read at the ceremony.
That appointment was just one of many firsts in Rambo’s career, noted Michael Chagares, chief judge of the Third Circuit. Rambo was the first in her family to attend college, she was the only woman in her class at Dickinson Law School, and she was the first woman to serve as chief public defender and then as a judge in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Rambo is “a pioneer and a trailblazer, a legal powerhouse, a fearless, selfless and longtime warrior for the cause of justice,” Chagares said. “Judge Rambo is the embodiment of grit, determination, perseverance, and hard work.”
Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann, of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, opens a courthouse naming ceremony in honor of U.S. District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo, left.
Judge Yvette Kane, of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, said Rambo was an inspiration to other women in the legal profession.
“I have to say thank you from all the women lawyers, law clerks, court staff and judges who followed you. You made being first look so easy, but I happen to know better,” Kane said. “Your dedication, preparation, integrity, and devotion to the rule of law elevated you, this court, and all of us. No one has worked harder, shouldering the most difficult of cases … always, always doing what was best for the court.”
Perhaps Rambo’s most challenging case was one of the first she was assigned. She handled litigation from the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor disaster, a case that lasted two decades. When she became chief judge in 1992, again the first woman to assume that role in the Middle District, Rambo began a 30-year effort to secure approval and funding for a new courthouse in Harrisburg.
“It has taken 30 years to stand before this building, a building which represents the third branch of our democracy, the Judiciary,” Rambo said. “This courthouse didn’t come easily. But as my mother taught me, once you start something, don’t you ever give up.”
Rambo said her career as judge was guided by counsel from Socrates: to hear courteously, answer wisely, consider soberly, and decide impartially.
“It is that latter quality that speaks to the independence of the Judiciary,” Rambo said. “And it is that independence that will ensure the continuation of this democracy. It is because of my respect for this institution that I have given most of my career to the federal Judiciary. I am deeply humbled to receive this distinction, and I thank everyone.”
U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez was all smiles as he cut the ceremonial ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors, officially opening the new federal courthouse in San Antonio. A dedication ceremony in April marked a satisfying conclusion to the judge’s 19-year effort to work with GSA to secure funding to build a safer and more welcoming space for those resolving disputes in the Western District of Texas.
“Perseverance and collaboration with our local representatives were key to this effort,” Rodriguez said. “There were times I thought to myself that this day would never come, but I kept working at it.”
In late 2015, Congress funded one of the largest modernizations of federal courthouses in recent decades, approving $948 million to fully fund eight new courthouse projects, including San Antonio. Three federal courthouse buildings opened last year, and four more have opened or are expected to open soon.
“While Congress’s approval of these projects may not be unprecedented, it is certainly unusual in modern times,” said Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick, chair of the Judicial Conference’s Space and Facilities Committee. “This investment is essential to providing access and safety to all — jurors, lawyers, court employees, parties to a case, and the public – so that they may focus on the administration of justice in a fitting setting. Everyone in the Judiciary, and the public at large, should be grateful to Congress, the General Services Administration, and the Judiciary for coming together to tackle the often urgent needs these new courthouse projects address.”
The new courthouse in San Antonio replaces the John H. Wood Jr. U.S. Courthouse, originally built for the 1968 World’s Fair before being reconfigured into a courthouse in the 1970s. The new facility also consolidates administrative and training functions that were in the San Antonio Federal Building and Adrian Spears Training Center.
“We were in desperate need of a new space. We had lead pipes bursting, frequent heating and cooling issues, and faced security risks due to poor design,” Rodriguez said.
At the Wood courthouse, shackled detainees shared the same building entrance as court visitors and could end up riding the elevator with the judge or jurors involved in their case. The new courthouse features several security improvements, including a sally port and a series of restricted corridors to process prisoners, judges and judicial staff, and visitors securely and efficiently around the courthouse.
Additionally, the Wood Courthouse had very few windows or opportunity for natural light. The new courthouse provides copious amounts of natural light in the thoughtfully designed atrium and through the building’s many skylights and full-height windows with views of San Antonio’s new San Pedro Creek Riverwalk.
Rodriguez also noted the state-of-the-art courtroom technology. This new technology offers the ability to easily stream video proceedings into neighboring courtrooms if social distancing policies are reenacted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The new three-story, 235,000 square foot courthouse features a modern design, with references towards traditional judicial architecture. In addition to eight courtrooms, including a courtroom for special proceedings, and 13 chambers, the federal building houses the district’s probation and pretrial services offices, federal defender office, U.S. marshal’s office, and U.S. attorney’s office.
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Bankruptcy courts will begin processing an additional $60 per case payment to eligible chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees for applicable cases filed or converted in fiscal year 2021. Applicable cases are chapter 7 cases filed on or after Jan. 12, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2021, or chapter 11, 12, or 13 cases filed on or after Jan. 12, 2021, that are subsequently converted to chapter 7, on or before Sept. 30, 2021.
To receive the additional payment, eligible chapter 7 trustees must certify they have rendered services pursuant to the regulations via the filing of a “Trustee Services Rendered Pursuant to 330(e)” event in an individual bankruptcy court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system. Trustees should allow time for their local bankruptcy court clerk’s office to process payments before inquiring about payment status.
under chapter 7 on or after Jan. 12, 2021, to the end of fiscal year 2026;
or originally filed under chapter 11, 12, or 13, on or after Jan. 12, 2021, and subsequently converted to chapter 7 on or before the end of fiscal year 2026.
Subsequent annual payments will be issued after the end of each applicable fiscal year. Amounts available for payment are determined annually based on the available balance in the United States Trustee System Fund and the case count of new chapter 7 filings and cases converted to chapter 7 during that fiscal year.
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