Origins
The Federal Judicial Center was established by the Federal Judicial Center Act of 1967, responding to recognition that federal judges needed systematic education and that the judicial system required research capacity. Before the FJC, judicial education was haphazard—new judges learned on the job with minimal formal training. The growing complexity of federal litigation, from antitrust economics to scientific evidence, demanded more sophisticated judicial preparation.
Chief Justice Earl Warren championed the FJC’s creation, arguing that an independent research agency could improve judicial administration without compromising judicial independence. The Center’s governance structure—a Board headed by the Chief Justice and including judges from each court level—ensured judicial control over its activities. Unlike the Administrative Office’s operational focus, the FJC would concentrate on research, education, and developing best practices.
The FJC’s founding reflected broader professionalization of the judiciary. The legal profession was developing continuing education requirements; courts needed equivalent training institutions. Academic study of judicial administration was growing; courts needed capacity to apply research findings. International judicial reform efforts were creating similar institutions abroad. The FJC became a model for judicial education agencies worldwide.
Structure & Function
The Federal Judicial Center operates under a Board chaired by the Chief Justice and including the director of the Administrative Office plus seven judges elected by the Judicial Conference. The Director, appointed by the Board, manages a staff of approximately 140 researchers, educators, and support personnel. The Center’s modest size belies its influence—FJC publications and programs reach every federal judge and thousands of court staff.
Education programs serve judges at every career stage. Orientation seminars introduce new judges to federal procedure, judicial ethics, and courtroom management. Continuing education addresses evolving areas—technology, complex litigation, sentencing, case management. Specialized programs focus on bankruptcy, magistrate judges, and court staff. The FJC increasingly delivers education through video, online modules, and publications, supplementing in-person programs at its Washington headquarters and regional locations.
Research activities support judicial administration and policymaking. FJC studies examine case processing times, alternative dispute resolution, jury behavior, sentencing practices, and other topics relevant to court operations. Research findings inform Judicial Conference policy recommendations and Congressional consideration of judicial reforms. The Center also maintains the Federal Judicial History Office, documenting the judiciary’s institutional development and producing biographical resources on federal judges.
Historical Significance
The Federal Judicial Center has shaped how federal judges understand and perform their roles. Orientation programs socialize new judges into judicial culture, transmitting norms about independence, impartiality, and collegiality. Case management training has transformed judicial practice—the “managerial judging” approach, encouraging active judicial involvement in moving cases toward resolution, emerged from FJC research and education. These programs have made federal courts more efficient and consistent.
FJC research has informed major judicial reforms. Studies of civil case processing contributed to the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990. Research on jury instructions led to pattern instructions now used nationwide. Sentencing research informed both the original guidelines and subsequent modifications. The Center’s ability to study how courts actually work—rather than how doctrine says they should work—provides empirical grounding for judicial policymaking.
The FJC serves as the judiciary’s institutional memory. Its Federal Judicial History Office maintains biographical information on every federal judge, histories of individual courts, and documentation of judicial administration evolution. Publications make this history accessible to judges, scholars, and the public. This historical work connects contemporary judges to their predecessors, fostering institutional identity and continuity across generations of judicial service.
Key Developments
- 1967: Federal Judicial Center Act creates FJC
- 1968: First Director, Judge William Foley, appointed
- 1970: First orientation program for new district judges
- 1972: FJC begins systematic research program
- 1974: Court Education Division established
- 1979: First comprehensive study of case management practices
- 1984: FJC supports Sentencing Commission’s guidelines development
- 1987: Judicial Fellows program begins
- 1990: Research informs Civil Justice Reform Act
- 1995: Distance education programs launched
- 2000: Federal Judicial History Office expanded
- 2004: International Judicial Relations Office created
- 2010: Online education platforms developed
- 2015: Center for Judicial Education and Research modernized
- 2020: Virtual education programs rapidly expanded during pandemic
- 2024: Research on AI and technology in courts advances