Origins of the Elements of Federal Court Governance

• NCJ Number: 140550
• Author(s): R R Wheeler
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 30 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Federal Judicial Ctr
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Prepared for the May 1992 meeting of the Court Governance Subcommittee of the Court Administration and Case Management Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Annotation

This paper describes the factors involved in the creation of the major elements of Federal court governance.

Abstract

"Elements" refers broadly to agencies, offices, organizations, positions (such as chief judge), and entities (such as a circuit). "Governance" refers to the processes for regulating behavior (other than substantive judicial decisionmaking), for allocating Federal judicial system resources (including judges, staff, funds, and physical resources to support both), for monitoring performance, and for seeking adjustments. An overview of the evolution of governance elements focuses on three phases: 1789-1891, 1891-1948, and 1948 to the present. Significant legislation and events bearing upon the evolution of governance elements are briefly documented. A discussion of factors that have led to the creation of the various elements focuses on the same three phases. The elements are listed chronologically; the information for each element includes the year in which it or its predecessor organization was created; where relevant, the current U.S. Code reference; and where necessary, a brief description of the element in 1992. A 13- item bibliography