Preliminary Background Information:

Understanding Federal Courts: This publication is from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. It provides an introduction to the federal justice system, including how it is organized and how it relates to the legislative and administrative branches of government. 

US Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges: This document includes the ethical principles that apply to federal judges and provides guidance on the official duties and engagements related to outside activities for federal judges. 

Congressional Research Service Paper, The Supreme Court Adopts a Code of Conduct: This document was published following the announcement of the US Supreme Court's adoption of the Code of Conduct and provides a legal sidebar with background information on federal judicial ethics rules before the adoption of the code and briefly outlines the substance of the code adopted.

 

National Town Hall on the Federal Judiciary: The LWVUS Federal Judiciary Study Committee held a town hall on Feb. 4 with speakers including Alicia Bannon from the Brennan Center for Justice, Thomas Berry from the CATO Institute, and Erinn Martin from NGV LLC.

 

Policy Briefs

Below are a series of briefs on topics designed to help spark discussion among League members as we work toward a LWVUS position on the federal judiciary. The intention is to help develop a long-lasting position based on the principles of judicial independence, transparency, accountability, and ethics (and possibly others). Our goal is a position that outlines the values – the standards and norms – the League of Women Voters should use in evaluating proposed changes to policies, laws, and regulations about the federal judiciary.