NEWS FROM U.S. DISTRICT COURT

January 13, 2023

Jury Trials. The number of jury trials in the district continued to climb last year. There were three civil trials and 33 criminal trials in 2022, for a total of 36 jury trials. That’s up from 33 jury trials in 2021 and just 19 in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. The Western Division led the way last year with 13 jury trials, followed by the Southern Division with 12, the Central Division with 7 and the Northern Division with 4.

New Criminal Justice Act Rates. New rates went into effect January 1st for work performed under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). After inflationary adjustments, CJA panel attorney hourly rates increased from $158 to $164 for non-capital work and from $202 to $210 for capital work. The new rates apply to services performed on or after January 1, 2023. The case compensation maximum in non-capital cases also increased to $12,800, up from $12,300. The case compensation maximum in revocation cases increased to $2,700, up from $2,600. Finally, investigative, expert, or other services case compensation maximums were increased to $2,800, up from $2,700.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 7.1 amended. The civil rule requiring corporate disclosure statements has been amended. Rule 7.1 now requires a disclosure statement by nongovernmental corporations that seek to intervene. Previously the rule was limited to nongovernmental corporate parties only. The changes also require a party or intervenor in an action in which jurisdiction is based on diversity under 28 U.S.C. 1332(a) to name and disclose the citizenship of every individual or entity whose citizenship is attributed to that party or intervenor. The disclosure does not relieve a party that asserts diversity jurisdiction from the Rule 8(a)(1) obligation to plead the grounds for jurisdiction but is designed to facilitate an early and accurate determination of jurisdiction.

Reminder. The Court will be closed on Monday, January 16th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.