Federal Judicial Center

Federal Judicial Center

Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building
Agency overview
Formed	December 20, 1967
Jurisdiction	United States Judiciary
Headquarters	Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building Washington, D.C.
Employees	128 (2015)
Annual budget	$27 million (2016)
Agency executive	Robin L. Rosenberg, director
Parent agency	Judicial Conference of the United States
Website	www.fjc.gov

The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by Pub. L. 90–219 in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

According to 28 U.S.C. § 620, the main areas of responsibility for the center include:

1. conducting and promoting "research and study of the operation of the courts of the United States," and to act to encourage and coordinate the same by others;
2. developing "recommendations for improvement of the administration and management of [U.S.] courts," and presenting these to the Judicial Conference of the U.S.; and
3. through all means available, see to conducting programs for the "continuing education and training for personnel" of the U.S. judiciary, for all employees in the justice system, from judges through probation officers and mediators.

In addition to these major provisions, §620 (b)(4)(5)(6) sets forth the additional provisions that the FJC will (i) provide staff and assistance to the Judicial Conference and component bodies, (ii) coordinate programs and research on the administration of justice with the State Justice Institute, and (iii) cooperatively assist other government agencies in providing advice, and receiving advice, regarding judicial administration in foreign countries, in each of these cases, to the extent it is "consistent with the performance of the other functions set forth" earlier.

The code also states (§621) that the chief justice of the United States is the permanent chair of the center's board, and that it includes the director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and seven federal judges elected by the Judicial Conference. The board appoints the center's director and deputy director; the director appoints the center's staff. Since its founding in 1967, the center has had eleven directors. The current director is Robin L. Rosenberg. The deputy director is Clara Altman.

History

The Federal Judicial Center was established by Congress on the recommendation of Chief Justice Earl Warren and other members of the judiciary who hoped that regular programs of research and education would improve the efficiency of the federal courts and help to relieve the backlog of cases in the lower courts. Governed by its own board, the Federal Judicial Center offered the courts the benefits of independent social science research and educational programs designed to improve judicial administration.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, the Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office increasingly commissioned research projects to examine problems of judicial administration and organized educational programs to help judges manage growing and complicated caseloads. These research and educational programs had no permanent staff or funding. Support for an institutionalized program of judicial research and education increased after the establishment of 60 new district judgeships in 1961 demonstrated that the number of judges alone would not solve all of the problems of overworked courts. A growing number of judges and members of the bar urged the judiciary to establish a formal means to bring improved research and education to the courts.

At the suggestion of Chief Justice Warren, the Judicial Conference in 1966 authorized a committee to examine the research and education requirements of the judiciary. Former justice Stanley Reed agreed to Warren’s request to chair the committee. As the Reed committee formulated its recommendation for establishment of a Federal Judicial Center, President Johnson, at Warren’s request, included the proposal in his highly publicized message on crime in February 1967. The Judicial Committee adopted the recommendation. Bills to create the center were soon submitted in both houses of Congress. With broad support for the concept of a research and education center for the judiciary, discussion in the House and Senate hearings centered on questions about the proper institutional form and leadership for the center.

The Reed Committee and the director of the Administrative Office, among others, advocated an independent agency with its own governing board to which the center director would report. The goal was to protect the research and education resources from being absorbed into strictly administrative duties and to insure the objectivity of research. The Federal Judicial Center’s board consists of the chief justice, a rotating group of judges selected by the Judicial Conference, and the director of the Administrative Office; no member of the Judicial Conference was to serve on the center’s board. The statute authorizes the center to conduct and support research on the operation of the courts, to offer education and training for judges and court personnel, and to assist and advise the Judicial Conference on matters related to the administration and management of the courts. Later legislation expanded the center’s mandate to include programs related to the history of the federal judiciary.

Organization

The center includes several offices and divisions.

The Director's Office is responsible for the center's overall management and its relations with other organizations. Its Office of Systems Innovation and Development (OSID) provides technical support for Center education and research. Communications Policy and Design (CPD) edits, produces, and distributes all Center print and electronic publications, operates the Federal Judicial Television Network, and through the Information Services Office maintains a specialized library collection of materials on judicial administration.

The Research Division undertakes empirical and exploratory research on federal judicial processes, federal court rules, judicial resources, court administration and case management, federal-state jurisdiction and cooperation, and sentencing and its consequences, often at the request of the Judicial Conference and its committees, the courts themselves, or other groups in the federal system. Elizabeth Wiggins is the current director of the research division. She is the third research division director in the history of the Federal Judicial Center.

The Federal Judicial History Office develops programs relating to the history of the judicial branch and assists courts with their own judicial history program.

The Education Division plans and organizes educational sessions for federal judges and court staff.

The International Judicial Relations Office carries out the center's statutory mission to provide information about federal courts to officials of foreign judicial systems and to acquire information about foreign judicial systems that will help the center perform its other missions. The office administers the center's International Visitor briefing program and the Visiting Foreign Judicial Fellows Program.

A nonprofit organization, the Federal Judicial Center Foundation, solicits support for the center.

Fellowships and visitorships

Individuals from outside the United States seeking to learn more about the work of the Federal Judicial Center can apply to the International Visitor briefing program or the Visiting Foreign Judicial Fellows Program, discussed above. U.S. citizens can seek a one-year placement at the Federal Judicial Center as part of the U.S. Supreme Court Fellows Program.

Leadership

Directors

The director of the FJC is elected by the center's board of directors.

#	Name	Began	Ended	Prior position
1	Tom C. Clark	1968	1970	Retired justice, SCOTUS
2	Alfred P. Murrah	1970	1974	Judge, 10th Cir.
3	Walter Edward Hoffman	1974	1977	Judge, E.D. Va.
4	A. Leo Levin	1977	1987	Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School
5	John Cooper Godbold	1987	1990	Judge, 11th Cir.
6	William Schwarzer	1990	1995	Judge, N.D. Cal.
7	Rya W. Zobel	1995	1999	Judge, D. Mass.
8	Fern M. Smith	1999	2003	Judge, N.D. Cal.
9	Barbara Jacobs Rothstein	2003	2011	Judge, W.D. Wash.
10	Jeremy Fogel	2011	2018	Judge, N.D. Cal.
11	John S. Cooke	2018	2025	Deputy director, FJC
12	Robin L. Rosenberg	2025	Incumbent	Judge, S.D. Fla.

Board members

Since it was founded, the center's board of directors has included the Chief Justice, two circuit judges, three district judges, and the director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. It has been expanded twice, in 1979 to include a bankruptcy judge, and in 1997 to include a magistrate judge. While the Chief Justice undergoes presidential appointment and congressional confirmation, and the AO director is appointed by the Chief Justice, the individual judges are elected to the board for four-year terms by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Year	Chief Justice	Circuit judge	Circuit judge	District judge	District judge	District judge	AO director	Bankruptcy judge	Magistrate judge
1968	Earl Warren Mar. 1968–Jun. 1969	Wade H. McCree 6th Cir. Mar. 1968–Mar. 1973	James Marshall Carter 9th Cir. Mar. 1968–Mar. 1971	William McRae M.D. Fla. Mar. 1968–Mar. 1970	Edward Devitt D. Minn. Mar. 1968–Mar. 1971	Harold R. Tyler Jr. S.D.N.Y. Mar. 1968–Mar. 1972	Ernest C. Friesen Mar. 1968–Feb. 1970
1969	Warren E. Burger Jun. 1969–Sep. 1986
1970				Gerhard Gesell D.D.C. Mar. 1970–Mar. 1972			Rowland F. Kirks Jul. 1970–Nov. 1977
1971			Frank M. Coffin 1st Cir. Mar. 1971–Oct. 1972		Adrian Anthony Spears W.D. Tex. Mar. 1971–Mar. 1975
1972			Ruggero J. Aldisert 3rd Cir. Oct. 1972–Mar. 1979	Marvin E. Frankel S.D.N.Y. Mar. 1972–Apr. 1978		Walter Edward Hoffman E.D. Va. Mar. 1972–Sep. 1974
1973		Griffin Bell 5th Cir. Mar. 1973–Apr. 1976
1974						Alfred A. Arraj D. Colo. Sep. 1974–Apr. 1976
1975					Robert Howard Schnacke N.D. Cal. Mar. 1975–Mar. 1979
1976		John Cooper Godbold 5th Cir. Apr. 1976–Mar. 1981				Frank James McGarr N.D. Ill. Apr. 1976–Mar. 1980
1977							William E. Foley Nov. 1977–Mar. 1985
1978				Aubrey Eugene Robinson Jr. D.D.C. Apr. 1978–Mar. 1982
1979			William Hughes Mulligan 2nd Cir. Mar. 1979–Mar. 1981		Otto Richard Skopil Jr. D. Ore. Mar. 1979–Sep. 1979			Lloyd D. George D. Nev. Sep. 1979–Sep. 1983
1980					Donald S. Voorhees W.D. Wash. Sep. 1979–Mar. 1983	William S. Sessions W.D. Tex. Mar. 1980–Mar. 1984
1981		Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy 6th Cir. Mar. 1981–Mar. 1985	John D. Butzner Jr. 4th Cir. Mar. 1981–Mar. 1983
1982				Warren Keith Urbom D. Neb. Mar. 1982–Mar. 1986
1983			Daniel Mortimer Friedman Fed. Cir. Mar. 1983–Mar. 1987		Howard C. Bratton D.N.M. Mar. 1983–Mar. 1987			John J. Galgay S.D.N.Y. Sep. 1983–May 1984
1984						A. David Mazzone D. Mass. Mar. 1984–Mar. 1988		Martin V. B. Bostetter E.D. Va. Oct. 1984–Oct. 1987
1985		Arlin Adams 3rd Cir. Mar. 1985–Jan. 1987					Leonidas Ralph Mecham Jul. 1985–Jul. 2006
1986	William Rehnquist Sep. 1986–Sep. 2005			José A. Cabranes D. Conn. Mar. 1986–Mar. 1990
1987		Alvin Benjamin Rubin 5th Cir. Jan. 1987–Mar. 1989	Anthony Kennedy 9th Cir. Mar. 1987–Feb. 1988		William Clark O'Kelley N.D. Ga. Mar. 1987–Mar. 1991			Robert E. Ginsberg N.D. Ill. Oct. 1987–Oct. 1991
1988			J. Clifford Wallace 9th Cir. Mar. 1988–Mar. 1991			David Dudley Dowd Jr. N.D. Ohio Mar. 1988–Mar. 1992
1989		Monroe G. McKay 10th Cir. Mar. 1989–Sep. 1991
1990				Diana E. Murphy D. Minn. Mar. 1990–Mar. 1994
1991		J. Harvie Wilkinson III 4th Cir. Sep. 1991–Mar. 1996	Edward R. Becker 3rd Cir. Mar. 1991–Mar. 1995		Martin Leach-Cross Feldman E.D. La. Mar. 1991–Mar. 1995			Sidney B. Brooks D. Colo. Oct. 1991–Mar. 1993
1992						Michael Anthony Telesca W.D.N.Y. Mar. 1992–Mar. 1996
1993								Elizabeth Perris D. Ore. Mar. 1993–Mar. 1997
1994				Marvin Aspen N.D. Ill. Mar. 1994–Mar. 1998
1995			Bruce M. Selya 1st Cir. Mar. 1995–Mar. 1999		Richard Paul Matsch D. Colo. Mar. 1995–Mar. 1999
1996		Pasco Bowman II 8th Cir. Mar. 1996–Mar. 1998				Thomas F. Hogan D.D.C. Mar. 1996–Mar. 2000
1997								A. Thomas Small E.D.N.C. Mar. 1997–Mar. 2001	Virginia M. Morgan E.D. Mich. Mar. 1997–Mar. 2001
1998		Stanley Marcus 11th Cir. Mar. 1998–Mar. 2002		Jean Constance Hamilton E.D. Mo. Mar. 1998–Mar. 2003
1999			Robert Manley Parker 5th Cir. Mar. 1999–Mar. 2000		William H. Yohn Jr. E. D. Pa. Mar. 1999–Mar. 2003
2000			Pauline Newman Fed. Cir. Mar. 2000–Mar. 2004			Robert Jensen Bryan W.D. Wash. Mar. 2000–Mar. 2004
2001								Robert F. Hershner Jr. M.D. Ga. Mar. 2001–Mar. 2005	Robert B. Collings D. Mass. Mar. 2001–Mar. 2005
2002		Pierre N. Leval 2nd Cir. Mar. 2002–Mar. 2006
2003				Sarah S. Vance E.D. La. Mar. 2003–Mar. 2007	James Aubrey Parker D.N.M. Mar. 2003–Mar. 2007
2004			Terence T. Evans 7th Cir. Mar. 2004–Mar. 2008			Bernice B. Donald W.D. Tenn. Mar. 2004–Mar. 2008
2005	John Roberts Sep. 2005–present							Stephen Raslavich E.D. Pa. Mar. 2005–Mar. 2009	Karen K. Klein D.N.D. Mar. 2005–Mar. 2009
2006		Karen J. Williams 4th Cir. Mar. 2006–Sep. 2007					James C. Duff Jul. 2006–Sep. 2011
2007		William Byrd Traxler Jr. 4th Cir. Sep. 2007–Jul. 2009		Philip Martin Pro D. Nev. Mar. 2007–Mar. 2011	David O. Carter C.D. Cal. Mar. 2007–Mar. 2011
2008			Susan H. Black 11th Cir. Mar. 2008–Mar. 2012			Loretta Preska S.D.N.Y. Mar. 2008–Mar. 2012
2009								James B. Haines D. Me. Mar. 2009–Mar. 2013	John M. Facciola D.D.C. Mar. 2009–Mar. 2013
2010		Edward C. Prado 5th Cir. Mar. 2010–Mar. 2014
2011				Kathryn H. Vratil D. Kan. Mar. 2011–Mar. 2015	James F. Holderman N.D. Ill. Mar. 2011–Mar. 2015		Thomas F. Hogan D.D.C. Oct. 2011–Jul. 2013
2012			Michael Joseph Melloy 8th Cir. Mar. 2012–Mar. 2016			Catherine C. Blake D. Md. Mar. 2012–Mar. 2016
2013							John D. Bates D.D.C. Jul. 2013–Jan. 2015	C. Ray Mullins N.D. Ga. Mar. 2013–Mar. 2017	Jonathan W. Feldman W.D.N.Y. Mar. 2013–Mar. 2017
2014		Kent A. Jordan 3rd Cir. Mar. 2014–Mar. 2018
2015				Kimberly J. Mueller E.D. Cal. Mar. 2015–Mar. 2019	Curtis Lynn Collier E.D. Tenn. Mar. 2015–Mar. 2019		James C. Duff Jan. 2015–Feb. 2021
2016			David S. Tatel D.C. Cir. Mar. 2016–Mar. 2020			George Z. Singal D. Me. Mar. 2016–Mar. 2020
2017								Barbara J. Houser N.D. Tex. Mar. 2017–Apr. 2020	Tim A. Baker S.D. Ind. Mar. 2017–Mar. 2021
2018		Duane Benton 8th Cir. Mar. 2018–Mar. 2022
2019				Raymond Alvin Jackson E.D. Va. Mar. 2019–Mar. 2023	Nancy D. Freudenthal D. Wyo. Mar. 2019–Mar. 2023
2020			Thomas Hardiman 3rd Cir. Mar. 2020–Mar. 2024			Carol Amon E.D.N.Y. Mar. 2020–Mar. 2024
2021							Roslynn R. Mauskopf E.D.N.Y. Feb. 2021–Jan. 2024	Mildred Cabán D.P.R. Mar. 2021–Mar. 2025	Anthony E. Porcelli M.D. Fla. Mar. 2021–Mar. 2025
2022		R. Guy Cole Jr. 6th Cir. Mar. 2022–present
2023				B. Lynn Winmill D. Idaho Mar. 2023–present	Sara L. Ellis N.D. Ill. Mar. 2023–present
2024			Ralph R. Erickson 8th Cir. Mar. 2024–present			Kathleen Cardone W.D. Tex. Mar. 2024–present	Robert J. Conrad W.D.N.C. Mar. 2024–present
2025								Michelle M. Harner D. Md. Mar. 2025–present	Suzanne Mitchell W.D. Okla. Mar. 2025–present

External links

• Official website
• Federal Judicial Center Foundation