Benchbook for U.S. District Court Judges, Fourth Edition, with March 2000 revisions, Federal Judicial Center, 1996.

The Federal Judicial Center released its first Benchbook for U.S. District Court Judges in 1969. Second and third editions, in 1979 and 1986, consisted of materials prepared by experienced judges and reviewed by the Center’s Benchbook Committee, which also approved staff-prepared revisions and expansions necessary to keep the book current and responsive. Because many bankruptcy and magistrate judges reported that they found the Benchbook useful, the Center expanded the book’s audience to include them.

In 1995, at the suggestion of my predecessor, Judge William W Schwarzer, the Committee decided to take a fresh look at the book, not only to update material but also to consolidate information located in different sections, to delete material that was no longer timely or was available from other sources, to organize the contents into a more accessible format, and to expand cross-references to other Center reference manuals and publications. This fourth edition of the Benchbook is the product of that effort.

The Center is indebted to the members of its Benchbook Committee, who are appointed by the Chief Justice. The Committee is chaired by Judge A. David Mazzone (D. Mass.) and consists of Chief Judge William O. Bertelsman (E.D. Ky.), Judge William B. Enright (S.D. Cal.), Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr. (D.D.C.), and Judge Louis L. Stanton (S.D.N.Y.). Chief Judge Richard P. Matsch (D. Colo.) is the Center Board’s liaison to the Committee.

I am pleased to express the Center’s appreciation also to other judges who contributed suggestions, including members of the Judicial Conference’s Criminal Law Committee, and to staffs of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the U.S. Sentencing Commission, with whom we have consulted about particular parts of this revision.

We hope this edition of the Benchbook serves you well and we invite your continued comments and suggestions for making it better.

Rya W. Zobel
Director, Federal Judicial Center

Download Benchbook for U.S. District Court Judges, Fourth Edition

Pdf format, 574kb, 254pages.

The Federal Judicial Center produced this Benchbook for U.S. District Court Judges in furtherence of its mission to develop and conduct education programs for the judicial branch.

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