Judicial Conference of the United States

Long Range Plan

Long Range Plan for the Federal Courts

As Approved by the Judicial Conference

The WHOLE Thing (2.717 Mbytes)

Table of Contents (PDF Files)

Foreword

Chapter 1. Introduction

• Why Plan?
• History of Federal Courts Planning and the Genesis of the Current Plan

Chapter 2. Conserving Core Values, Yet Preserving Flexibility

• The Vision
• Mission
• Core Values
• The Federal Courts Today
• Conserving Core Values
• Has the Crisis Arrived?

Chapter 3. An Alternative Future for the Federal Courts?

• A Possible Scenario for the Future
• Another Possible Scenario for the Future

Chapter 4. Judicial Federalism

• Defining and Maintaining a Limited Federal Jurisdiction
  • Criminal Proceedings
  • Civil Proceedings
• Confronting the Effects of Allocating Jurisdiction
  • Impact of Legislation
  • Growth of the Article III Judiciary

Chapter 5. Structure

• Organization of the Appellate Function
  • Courts of Appeals
  • Circuit Size and Workload
  • Resolution of Intercircuit Conflicts
  • Review of Administrative Proceedings
  • Appeals in Bankruptcy Cases
  • Appeals of Magistrate Judge Decisions
• Organization of the Trial Function
  • District Courts
  • District Alignment
  • Bankruptcy Courts
• Map of Geographical Boundaries of United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts
• Chart of the United States Court System

Chapter 6. Adjudication

• Rules of Practice and Procedure
• Sentencing in Criminal Cases
• The Jury System
• Pro Se Litigation
• Costs of Litigation
• The Need for Case Management
  • Case Management in the Courts of Appeals
  • Case Management in the District Courts

Chapter 7. Governance: Management and Accountability

• Distribution of Authority
• Effective Organization and Operation
• Participation
• Administrative Autonomy
• Accountability
• Charts of National, Regional and Local Institutions of Federal Court Governance

Chapter 8. Resources

• Obtaining Adequate Resources
• Ensuring Lifetime Service on the Bench
• Making Most Effective Use of Judicial Resources
• Diminishing the Problem of Judicial Vacancies
• Managing Judicial Branch Resources
  • Budget Decentralization
  • Technology and Facilities
  • The Federal Courts' Workforce of the Future

Chapter 9. The Federal Courts and Society

• Equal Justice
• Keeping Federal Courts Affordable
• Representation of Criminal Defendants
• Ensuring Justice for Those Who Cannot Afford Counsel in Civil Cases
• Customer Service Orientation
• Communications with Other Branches of Government and the Public
• Communications with the Bar

Chapter 10. Confronting the Alternative Future

• Threshold for Considering Changes
• Restructuring Appellate Review
• Limiting the Right to Appeal
• Making Best Use of Trial Court Resources
• Diverting the Civil Caseload
• Limiting Jurisdiction
• Maintaining Effective Governance
• Appointing Article III Judges
• Conclusion

Chapter 11. Implementation and Future Planning

• The Plan as a Guide
• Coordinated Planning
• Implementing this Plan
• Continuing Nature of Planning
• Future Editions of the Plan

Appendix A.

• Current Trends and Projections

Appendix B.

• History of the Judicial Conference's Long Range Planning Process

Appendix C.

• Profile of the Long Range Planning Committee: Members, Staff, Consultants, and Contributors

Appendix D.

• The Judicial Conference of the United States and Its Committees, September 1995

Index

Related Links:

1995 Annual Report of the Chief Justice

The Third Branch, June 1995

The Third Branch, October 1995