Orientation for New U.S. District Judges

New district judges are invited to attend two one-week programs produced by the Center. In Phase I, two experienced district judges serve as mentors and lead discussions built around a series of in-person and recorded scenarios. The Center also invites appellate judges new to the federal bench to attend the Phase I program.

The Phase I program employs an interactive, skills-based learning approach. By the end of Phase I, seminar participants should be able to

• Identify ethical issues implicating the judicial codes of conduct and contact appropriate committee members for guidance
• Identify various methods of conducting voir dire and assess the pros and cons of each method
• Organize civil and criminal dockets to manage caseloads efficiently
• Spot issues in cases that make the cases more likely to settle
• Understand how to run a criminal trial, including how to address criminal pretrial motions
• Understand the workings of a federal prison, including the role of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
• Make evidentiary decisions with greater confidence, having completed several mock exercises
• Make sentencing determinations using the United States Sentencing Guidelines, having participated in several mock scenarios
• Identify circumstances implicating judicial security issues and respond appropriately

The Phase II orientation program brings together several Phase I classes of district judges. It complements the court orientation activities in a judge's home district and the Center's Phase I orientation seminar. The program focuses on substantive areas of law, as well as skills training provided by experienced judges. By the end of the Phase II seminar, participants will be able to

• Create a system for assessing federal jurisdiction particularly for cases involving complex matters
• Discern recent changes to Section 1983 law and spot issues in those cases making them more likely to settle
• Identify recent changes to employment discrimination caselaw
• Conduct initial appearances with greater engagement and efficiency having participated in several role plays
• Effectively structure written opinions and receive personalized, professional feedback of their own judicial writing
• Identify the role of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the governing structure of the federal judiciary
• Develop a strategy for staying physicially and mentally healthy
• Make civil case management determinations with greater confidence having participated in small group exercises with experienced judges
• Issue sentencing determinations in accordance with the United States Sentencing Guidelines and governing caselaw, having analyzed several mock scenarios
• Identify nuanced ethical issues implicating the judicial codes of conduct
• Understand the role of judicial records and explore its impact on legacy building
• Discern emerging issues and best practices for technological security
• Making criminal case management determinations with greater confidence having participated in small group exercises with experienced judges

The Center sends each new district judge with no previous federal judicial experience (i.e., the judge is not a sitting magistrate judge) a set of selected publications that can be added to chambers or bench reference materials.

Orientation for New U.S. Bankruptcy Judges  

New bankruptcy judges are invited to attend two one-week programs produced by the Center. The initial, Phase I, orientation program invites experienced bankruptcy judges to serve as mentors and lead discussions built around a series of videotaped lectures. Topics include each of the bankruptcy chapters, discharge and dischargeability, case management, and evidence. This four-day program is offered as needed during the year and is attended by bankruptcy judges with less than six months on the bench.

The Phase II orientation program is attended by several Phase I classes of bankruptcy judges with less than eighteen months on the bench. Participants analyze the decision-making process, in theory and in practice; study the role of judges; assess case-management styles; consider key ethical dilemmas confronted by new judges; rule on simulated evidentiary issues; and examine best writing practices.

The Center sends each new bankruptcy judge a set of selected publications that can be added to chambers or bench reference materials.

Orientation for New U.S. Magistrate Judges

The Center invites newly designated U.S. magistrate judges to attend a two-phase orientation consisting of two one-week programs. In Phase I, experienced magistrate judges serve as mentors and lead discussions built around criminal and civil case scenarios and hypothetical examples.

As a result of this program, participants are able to

• Describe the fundamentals of criminal pretrial in the federal courts managed primarily by magistrate judges, including complaints, arrest warrants, search warrants, pretrial services, appointment of counsel, initial appearances, pretrial release or detention, release with conditions, preliminary hearings, and removal hearings
• Describe the elements of pretrial proceedings in civil cases, including preliminary motions and discovery matters
• Identify ethical issues implicating the judicial codes of conduct and contact appropriate committee members for guidance
• Identify different methods of alternative dispute resolution that may be available to parties and identify the elements of a settlement conference, including opening statements, facilitating discussion, evaluating the progress of the conference, ethical considerations, and closing
• Develop tools to bridge the transition from lawyer to judge and explore their own judicial identity
• Use technology to manage caseloads efficiently

The Phase II program is attended by judges from several Phase I classes who have less than a year on the bench. Topics include more in-depth criminal and civil case management, habeas corpus, pro se litigation, social security, Section 1983 and qualified immunity, employment law, and ethics.

The Center sends each new magistrate judge a set of selected publications that can be added to chambers or bench reference materials.

Orientation for New U.S. Court of Appeals Judges

The Center sponsors new U.S. court of appeals judges’ attendance at an orientation program for state and federal appellate judges at New York University School of Law. Topics in this six-day program include oral argument, conferencing and collegiality, styles of judicial reasoning, the process of decision making, and opinion writing. Appellate judges who are new to the federal bench are also invited to attend Phase I of the Center’s Orientation for New U.S. District Judges.

The Center sends each new appellate judge with no previous federal judicial experience (i.e., the judge is not a sitting district judge) a set of selected publications that can be added to chambers or bench reference materials.

Circuit Workshops for U.S. Appellate and District Judges

Workshops for appellate and district judges of individual circuits are planned by the Circuit Judicial Education Planning Committees in consultation with the Federal Judicial Center. Emphasis is placed on topics of particular interest to judges of the circuit. The Center hosts national workshops for U.S. district judges in alternate years.

National Workshop for U.S. District Judges

Designed to reflect the varied demands of the federal bench, this program offers sessions that address the unique responsibilities and challenges faced by U.S. district judges across the country and at all levels of experience. Plenary sessions explore topics central to the federal trial bench, including judicial ethics and codes of conduct; strategies for maintaining a respectful workplace; cybersecurity risks and responses for court systems; and recent, impactful Supreme Court decisions. The curriculum also examines the judiciary’s evolving role in an increasingly digital society, complex sentencing considerations, and initiatives related to civics education and community outreach.

Concurrent sessions address topics such as

• Complexities of federal jurisdiction
• Juries in the age of social media
• Recent case-law relating to § 1983 litigation
• Managing high-profile and high-risk trials
• Legislative updates with judicial impact
• Use of AI and emerging technologies in litigation
• Evidentiary issues in a digital environment
• Substantive and procedural developments in criminal and civil law
• Problem solving courts (live observation)
• Skills-based sessions on opinion writing, managing complex litigation, and conducting effective hearings

This program is designed to provide practical tools, timely knowledge, and peer connection opportunities that support district judges in their essential roles across the federal judiciary.

National Workshop for U.S. Bankruptcy Judges

This program features sessions on topics of particular interest to U.S. bankruptcy judges. Past plenary sessions have addressed such topics as evidence and trial skills; judicial ethics and fostering respectful workplace culture; financial fragility in the middle class; the roots of the 2008 financial crisis; and an update on Supreme Court cases of significance to bankruptcy judges. Participants may choose among concurrent sessions that have addressed such topics as

• Cybersecurity
• Developments in business law
• Developments in consumer law
• Discovery and e-discovery
• Mental health issues in bankruptcy
• Recognizing and responding to the problems of LLCs in bankruptcy
• Seeing things a new way (using art to improve visual perception)
• Specialized uses of technology (multiple sessions)
• Trial skills practice.

Small-group discussion sessions typically include such topics as

• Getting feedback
• Handling Chapter 9 cases
• Handling Chapter 11 cases
• Handling challenging parties
• Finance through the lens of literature
• Special concerns of judges at various career stages.

National Workshop for U.S. Magistrate Judges

This program features sessions on topics of particular interest to U.S. magistrate judges, such as civil and pro se litigation, criminal procedure, psychological states of litigants, and ethics. Instruction is offered in both plenary and breakout session formats.

Typical breakout sessions might address such topics as

• Evaluating the constitutional and civil liberties implications of the use of drones by law enforcement
• Assessing the impact on judges of implicit bias, mindfulness, physical and mental stressors, and emotional equanimity
• Finding an excellent law clerk
• Maximizing cybersecurity
• Conducting a Fair Labor Standards Act case
• Writing more effectively
• Facilitating mediation sessions
• Overcoming obstacles encountered in the use of courtroom, chambers, and personal technology
• Designing and delivering jury instructions
• Obtaining available IT hardware and software for a more efficient chambers and/or courtroom
• Preparing for retirement from the bench or transition to recall status and identifying ethical (and other) concerns arising from retirement
• Implementing foundational provisions of the Bail Reform Act
• Analyzing different models of reentry and other problem-solving courts and their functionality

National Symposium for U.S. Court of Appeals Judges

This program is conducted every three years and brings together court of appeals judges from across the country. The Center’s Appellate Judge Education Advisory Committee works closely with Center staff to plan sessions that are substantive and timely. Past symposiums have included such sessions as A New Supreme Court; Judging, Fast and Slow; Civil Discourse Past and Future; Ethics in Judicial Decision Making; and Legacy of Courage: The Rule of Law in the Civil Rights Era.

Special Focus Programs

The Center offers a variety of small seminars designed to provide an in-depth look at a topic of particular interest to judges. Faculty members are experts in their fields and share the latest research and current understanding of the topic. For information on special focus programs, please see the Center's Annual Report.

Pretrial Decision Making for Magistrate Judges

This seminar addresses the use of evidence-based decision making about pretrial release or detention. Pretrial Decision Making for Magistrate Judges is offered in tandem with a program on pretrial risk assessment offered by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO). The AO presentation examines the nature and use of the validated federal pretrial risk assessment instrument, which is used by most district pretrial services offices.

The program includes opportunities for scenario-based experiential learning and interactive discussions among judges, pretrial services experts, and faculty. Participants are encouraged to raise questions about issues of specific interest to their districts. 

The curriculum focuses on three major themes:

1. The Bail Reform Act of 1984 is constructed upon the constitutional presumption that defendants are innocent until proven guilty and are entitled to pretrial release, absent certain facts; the Act also enumerates specific factors that U.S. magistrate judges must consider in rendering pretrial release and detention decisions.
2. Risk is inherent in every release decision, and even well-reasoned decisions can have adverse outcomes. U.S. probation and pretrial services officers have an evidence-based risk assessment tool that is used by most of the nation’s pretrial services professionals and is an integral part of many pretrial investigations.
3. Probation and pretrial services officers are a valuable resource provided by the courts to help magistrate judges identify the risks posed by defendants and to fashion appropriate release conditions to address identified risks. 

Judges Information Technology Training

In this two-day program, court teams work to build an effective IT training plan for judicial officers and chambers staff in their respective districts. Participants learn how to incorporate sound educational principles into local training initiatives, including principles of assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Team members work together to develop an implementation plan. The scope of the local implementation plan varies from court to court and is managed locally.