The Clerk's Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on May 9 announced that it will nix the live chat feature on its website. The Clerk's Office said parties will still be able to call the office at (202) 275-8000 or reach out via the Contact Us page "during normal operating hours."
Court of International Trade Judge Stephen Vaden is among 13 federal judges who signed a May 6 letter to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik saying they won't hire any Columbia University law students as clerks, starting with the entering 2024 class, as a result of the university's response to the student protests regarding the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Vaden is the only CIT judge to sign the letter.
The Court of International Trade announced that Pacer.gov will undergo maintenance May 12 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. During this time, users may experience difficulties when "logging into CM/ECF and when making payments through Pay.gov."
The Court of International Trade's Pay.gov system will undergo maintenance 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT May 4, the court announced. Documents that require payment through Pay.gov won't be able to be filed on CM/ECF during this time.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's Clerk's Office and Circuit Library will be unavailable "for public services and support" from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT on April 26, the court said. Electronic filing will remain available and nonelectronic filings can be sent to the night drop box on H Street, NW, in Washington, the court said.
Changes to the Court of International Trade's fees and "Listing of Judges of the Court" were made March 20 and will become effective May 1, the court announced. The judges listings were amended to add new appointees Lisa Wang and Joseph Laroski.
The National Courts Building -- home of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit -- didn't receive U.S. Postal Service mail March 20-22. As a result, the court clarified in a March 26 notice that deadlines for nonelectronic filings and submission due March 20-22 and submitted via mail "will be deemed as timely filed if received on Monday, March 25, 2024. All other deadlines are unaffected."
Three U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit judges argued against Judge Pauline Newman's claims against her colleagues' investigation into the 96-year-old judge's fitness to continue serving on the bench. After a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia kept some of Newman's constitutional claims alive (see 2402120057), Judges Kimberly Moore, Sharon Prost and Richard Taranto argued that Newman's Fourth Amendment and due process claims both fell flat (Hon. Pauline Newman v. Hon. Kimberly Moore, D.D.C. # 23-01334).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last week issued guidance on "allowable and unallowble counsel scheduling conflicts" with oral argument sessions, clarifying that the list is non-exhaustive. The guidance said the three key requirements needed for a showing of "good cause" in rescheduling oral arguments are "certainty," in that the "conflict is already scheduled"; "specificity"; and "strong basis," which means the conflict must be for a "strong reason" and can't be easily "resolved or rescheduled."
The Court of International Trade on March 1 said "all attorneys eligible for renewal registration" must submit a renewal form and that non-federal government attorneys must pay a $75 registration fee by June 1. Lawyers admitted in 2023 and 2024 are exempt from the renewal requirements, the court said. Failure to renew will lead to the "removal of the attorney from the court's bar roll, without prejudice to an application for admission as a new member." Registration fees may be waived.