Tag Archives: Federal Judges

Why Circuit Courts Reassign Cases To Different District Judges On Remand.

24 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Appellate Judges, Civil Procedure, Court Orders, Federal Civil Procedure, Federal Judges, Judges

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Standards For Reassignment To A Different Judge On Remand, by Raymond P. Ward, Louisiana Civil Appeals

http://raymondpward.typepad.com/la-appellate/2015/02/standards-for-reassignment.html

In U.S. ex rel. Little v. Shell Exploration & Production Co., 14-20156 (5th Cir. Feb. 23, 2015) (unpublished), the Fifth Circuit not only reversed a summary judgment, but also ordered that, on remand, the case be reassigned to a different district judge. Why? Here is the sequence of events in a nutshell:

  1.  The district court rendered summary judgment in defendants’ favor.
  2.  On appeal, the Fifth Circuit reversed, holding that the district court applied the wrong legal standard. The Fifth Circuit remanded with instructions for the district court to apply the correct legal standard.
  3.  A year later, the district court again rendered summary judgment in defendants’ favor, apparently applying the same legal standard that the Fifth Circuit had rejected. The Fifth Circuit concluded that, in rendering this judgment, the district court disregarded the Fifth Circuit’s instructions on remand.

Starting at page 25, the decision includes a survey of case law enunciating various standards applied by circuit courts in deciding whether to reassign a case to a different judge on remand. So this decision is worth tucking away for future reference in case you ever find yourself in need of similar relief.

2013 Judicial Writing Manual: A Pocket Guide For Judges.

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Appellate Writing, Federal Judges, Judges, Legal Analysis, Legal Argument, Legal Writing

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Judicial Writing Manual: A Pocket Guide for Judges (Second Edition), Federal Judicial Center 2013 (with huge hat tip to William P. Statsky!)

http://www.fjc.gov/public/pdf.nsf/lookup/judicial-writing-manual-2d-fjc-2013.pdf/$file/judicial-writing-manual-2d-fjc-2013.pdf

Yesterday I posted a link to the First Edition of the Judicial Writing Manual. Twenty years after the First Edition, the Federal Judicial Center published this Second Edition. The goal of the Second Edition, like the First, is summed up in its Forward below. -CCE

Indeed, with so much of today’s writing embedded in the truncated protocols of social media and other “real time” forms of expression, the clarity and persuasive quality the authors of the first edition sought to teach are particularly important for judges’ writing. But the elements of good writing are remarkably constant, and we think that you will find the principles explained so thoughtfully in the first edition no less applicable today.

Jeremy D. Fogel, Director, Federal Judicial Center

 

Federal Judges Writing Manual.

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Federal Judges, Judges, Jury Instructions, Legal Analysis, Legal Writing, Statutory Interpretation, Style Manuals, Trial Tips and Techniques

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Judicial Writing Manual, Federal Judicial Center

http://tinyurl.com/k5x898o

This Writing Manual is obviously written specifically for federal judges. Twenty-four experienced jurists were interviewed to write the Manual.  Its board of editors are judges, law professors, and legal writers. Although written for federal judges, it provides insight for any legal writer, especially those who practice in federal court. The Manual is available in print or you can download it as a .pdf document.

This is more. Look at the left-hand side of the page, and click on “Recent Materials“: http://tinyurl.com/odjltbl. From there, it just gets better. At this link you will find papers on specific areas of law. One that caught my eye is Meghan Dunn’s “Jurors’ and Attorneys’ Use of Social Media During Voir Dire, Trials, and Deliberations: A Report to the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management.”  It is available only online.

Even if you do not practice in federal court, this is definitely worth a look. -CCE

Journalist’s Guide to the Federal Courts.

18 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by in Appellate Law, U.S. Courts of Appeal, United States Supreme Court

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A Journalist’s Guide to the Federal Courts, United States Courts

 http://www.uscourts.gov/News/JournalistsGuide.aspx

Federal judges and the journalists who cover them share much common ground. One clear area of mutual interest is accurate and informed coverage of federal courts. A Journalist’s Guide to the Federal Courts is intended to assist reporters assigned to court coverage. It is the media who inform and educate the public about the courts, spark discussion and debate about their work, instill public trust and confidence in the institution and its function, and help protect judicial independence. These are worthwhile and important pursuits.

There are justifiable and distinct differences between the three branches of government and the access they grant the news media. Most of the work of federal courts is performed in open court and decisions, and in most cases court filings are available on the Internet. This primer is aimed at helping reporters who cover federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts – the cases, the people, and the process.

Texas’ Backlog of Federal Judicial Vacancies.

29 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judges, Texas Supreme Court

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English: Seal of Texas

Senate’s ‘Nuclear Option’ Won’t Help Clear Backlog Of Texas Judicial Vacancies, by Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News (with hat tip to Howard Bashman, How Appealing Blog!)

http://tinyurl.com/mxklpsw

Federal courts that handle Texas cases have nine vacancies and until last week, no nominees, accounting for more than 20 percent of empty benches nationwide. One of those came open more than five years ago.

The predictable result: backlogs and delays, especially in civil cases.

“The nuclear option will not change the logjam. The White House is not going to nominate anyone from Texas until it’s clear the senators will approve them,” said Royal Furgeson, dean of the University of North Texas Law School in Dallas, planned to open next year.

He called the persistent vacancies ‘a giant problem,’ and he would know; he’s the judge who stepped down in November 2008 from a San Antonio trial court.