The Judiciary

May 2, 2008

Unusual Judges

The following was first posted on the InChambers weblog compiled by boppanny@aol.com, May 2008.

[From Mark Levin’s book, “Men in Black”]

“Robert C. Grier (U.S. Supreme Court Justice). Appointed by James Polk in 1846, Grier suffered paralysis in 1867 and thereafter began a slow mental decline. Grier’s case is most troubling because he was the swing vote in one of the more important cases of his era, Hepburn v. Griswold, which struck down the law allowing the federal government to print money. “Grier’s demonstration of mental incapacity during the conference discussion was such that every one of his colleagues acknowledged that action had to be taken.”

May 1, 2008

New York Chief Judge Judith Kaye Writes Governor to Deny Slowdown of Judges

by David Badertscher

From: Vesselin, Mitev and Daniel Wise. ” Kaye Writes Governor To Deny Work ‘Slowdown’ “, New York Law Journal, April 30, 2008. p. 1,6.

“Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye wrote Governor David A. Paterson yesterday to assure him that reports of judicial “slowdown” were ‘without basis.’ ”

“In addition, the court system’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics issued an opinion Monday determining that Chief Judge Kaye’s recent lawsuit to compel an increase in judicial salaries does not require judges to recuse themselves, but they may do so as a matter of individual conscience….”

April 29, 2008

NY Legislature: Bill would Add 39 Judges to Family Court Bench

by David Badertscher

An article in the April 29, 2008 New York Law Journal ( http://www.nylj.com)reports that the state Assembly’s Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote tomorrow (April 30) on the bill A10615/S7585 which would create 14 additional family court judgeships in New York City and 25 elsewhere in the state of New York. Click on the links below to see the text of the bill and its sponsoring memorandum:

Text of Bill A10615/S7587 Additional Family Court Judges

Sponsors Memorandum for Bill A10615/S7587 Additional Family Court Judges

April 21, 2008

Faith in the Courts: A Model for How Court Systems Can Work with Religious Communities

by David Badertscher

BY: Hon. Juanita Bing Newton, Matthew Weiner, and Moise Waltner*

p.28 – 32 of Judges Journal Vol. 46 No. 4 (Fall 2007).

This article describes how Judge Juanita Bing Newton and her staff in New York have successfully collaborated with the Interfaith Center of New York to reach out to more than 600 religious leaders in New York City to enhance the religious communities’ understanding of the legal system and to help court system personnel understand the diverse communities they serve.

April 10, 2008

Kaye v. Silver : Chief Judge of the State of New York Sues for Increase in Judicial Pay for all State Judges

by David Badertscher

N.Y.’s Top Judge Sues Over Judicial Pay

KAYE V. SILVER

“N.Y. Supreme Court, N.Y. County, April 10, 2008) – Chief Court of Appeals Judge Judith Kaye sued New York officials for an increase in judicial pay for all state judges, arguing that, “while New York judicial salaries have declined 27 percent in real terms since 1999,” every other state employee has gotten ‘ cumulative increases of more than 24 percent’.”.

April 10, 2008

National Issues Forum: Under Pressure, How Do We Keep the Courts Fair and Impartial

by David Badertscher

Under Pressure: How Do We Keep the Courts Fair and Impartial?

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Presented by the Coalition for Justice Hosted by the American University Washington College of Law Washington, DC

April 10, 2008

Chief Judge Judith Kaye Sues New York State to Secure Judicial Pay Hike

by David Badertscher

From: New York Law Journal April 10, 2008

Chief Judge Kaye Sues State to Secure Judicial Pay Hike

BY: Joel Stashenko

April 7, 2008

ABA Honors Judge William Wilkins

by David Badertscher

By Dan Hoover STAFF WRITER

GreenvilleOnline.com http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008304050002

April 5, 2008

April 3, 2008

Cost Estimate: Federal Judicial Salaries Restoration Act of 2007

by David Badertscher

S.1638

SUMMARY

S. 1638 would increase the salaries and change certain retirement benefits for some judges and justices of the United States. The bill also would allow those judges and justices to receive annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) without further Congressional approval and would increase the compensation paid to Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees.

February 20, 2008

ABA Judicial Division Presents Programs at the 2008 ABA Midyear Meeting

by David Badertscher

From the ABA Judicial Division:

The ABA Judicial Division presented and received favorable press coverage of the many wonderful programs during the 2008 Midyear Meeting in Los Angeles, CA, February 6-10. You can read, listen, and/or view these programs by clicking on the links below. This information is also posted to: http://www.abanet.org/jd/

Stranger in a Strange Land: Cross-Cultural Issues in the Courts — Video | Audio