Director's Annual Report

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died September 3, 2005. The head of the Third Branch of government, he commanded respect, was dignified, knowledgeable and above all, fair. The Chief also was a friend and mentor. Much already has been written about Chief Justice Rehnquist's legacy, and a tribute appears in this report.

I know the staff of the Administrative Office join their fellow judicial branch employees in recognizing and expressing their gratitude for Chief Justice Rehnquist's steady hand, principled leadership, impeccable integrity, and sense of honor in leading the nation's federal courts for 19 years.

As the nation mourned the passing of the Chief Justice, it also struggled with the aftermath of several hurricanes, especially Hurricane Katrina, which struck the southeast, devastating courthouses in the area and greatly disrupting life for members of the federal court family and their communities. The Administrative Office launched an immediate and intense effort to help affected courts resume their operations, and to assure that judges, court staff, and their families were safe.

The AO Judiciary Emergency Response Team met daily to assess the situation and advise courts on personnel, space and facilities, information technology, finance and budget, and other timely issues. We contacted area banks to ensure paychecks were received and processed, negotiated with benefits programs to expedite payments, and made available phone and electronic communications services for courts unable to access their long-distance carriers. At the direction of the Judicial Conference, legislation was pursued and quickly enacted to allow courts to convene outside their regional jurisdiction during times of emergency.

Although many courts have resumed operation, the devastation of Katrina and the other hurricanes that struck this year will long impact the lives of many. I was pleased to see that nearly 100 judges and court staff participated in the assistance exchange we developed, which allowed the impacted courts to take advantage of various forms of help, ranging from the lending of staff to offers of temporary shelter. I also sent a six-person Special Assessment and Assistance Team to Mississippi and Louisiana to help with the most pressing issues. I also authorized payment of special allowances to dependents of judges and judicial staff forced to evacuate because of Hurricane Katrina. I later extended the allowance period to facilitate restoration of court services during what will be a long period of recovery for affected judges, court staff, and their immediate families.

I am pleased that Congress provided the sorely needed emergency supplemental funds to help offset the costs of relocating more than 400 judges and court staff who were affected by the hurricanes. This past year the Administrative Office, judges, and court staff throughout the country continued to pursue adequate funding for all court operations. A full-scale congressional outreach effort has resulted in dozens of judges reaching out to educate their local members of Congress about the impact of budget cuts on essential court services. The result was a 5.4 percent increase, the largest growth in recent years. At the same time, the Judicial Conference's cost-containment efforts helped limit growth in Judiciary spending. The excessive and unfair rent the Judiciary pays the General Services Administration (GSA)—an amount far greater than any other government entity—needs to be addressed, and the Administrative Office will continue to explore all options in this area.

Statistics show that a growing number of judges are leaving the bench early because of dissatisfaction with their compensation. This trend harms the nation and its system of justice. We will carry on Chief Justice Rehnquist's long-standing commitment to obtaining a significant pay raise for judges, while also securing annual cost-of-living adjustments and seeking pay parity with career federal employees. The Administrative Office also will work closely with the Judicial Conference to address Judicial Branch executive level salaries, which lag seriously behind those of their counterparts in the Executive Branch. I remain committed to improving the existing benefits for judges and court employees, while also seeking legislation to expand the array of available benefits.

The murders of Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother earlier this year underscored the importance of reviewing off-site security for judges and their families. Funding has been secured for the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to install home intrusion detection devices for judges, and they should be in place in 2006. The Administrative Office will continue to pursue the most beneficial relationship with the Marshals Service. I am pleased that the USMS has agreed to assume the monitoring and maintenance charges for these systems in fiscal year 2006.

This past year was unusually active on the legislative front. In addition to addressing funding and security, Congress conducted hearings on bills dealing with judgeships, the split of the Ninth Circuit, class action law suits, habeas corpus, rent relief, bankruptcy reform, asbestos litigation, sentencing guidelines, court improvements, and more. When appropriate, Administrative Office staff worked with Conference committee chairs to draft and submit testimony. Congressional relations is a key Administrative Office activity and one in which I am personally involved.

The significant project achievements in 2005 are too numerous to mention. Nearly all district and bankruptcy courts are using the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing System (CM/ECF) and the appellate courts have begun implementation and will go live in 2006. Our electronic case system is widely recognized as the best in the world and the Administrative Office and the courts should take great pride in this accomplishment. Other automation initiatives are helping busy probation and pretrial services offices and federal defenders do their jobs more efficiently.

In this introductory message I could continue listing dozens of accomplishments, each of which, I am pleased to say, involved Administrative Office support. However, that is the purpose of this report. I hope that judges and court staff will read it, and share their comments.

On a more personal note, soon after he took office, I informed Chief Justice Roberts of my intention to retire upon his selection of a successor. I have served three Chief Justices, thousands of judges and court staff, and directed the Administrative Office during two decades of unprecedented change. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together and am deeply appreciative of the opportunity I was afforded to head what I have long-believed is the finest agency in the federal government.

Under the direction of the Judicial Conference, the Administrative Office works for the courts. I suspect that familiar challenges—obtaining the necessary resources, containing costs, protecting judges, securing appropriate pay, and developing tools to help courts work more efficiently—will continue to confront the Third Branch in 2006. I am equally confident that the Judiciary will encounter matters that could not be anticipated at this time. The successes of 2005 will serve as the building blocks for tackling the challenges of 2006. I know that the Administrative Office I will leave behind is well prepared to meet these challenges.