The Judicial Conference of the United States

In 1922, the United States Congress created a body called the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges to administer the federal judiciary. In 1948, Congress passed additional legislation and changed the name of the governing body to the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Judicial Conference handles the administrative matters of the federal court system.

Legal Ethics and Legal Malpractice

After successfully completing law school, a law school graduate is required to pass a state bar examination before he or she will be admitted to the practice of law in the state. After passing the bar examination, an attorney takes an oath of office. Once admitted to the bar of a state, an attorney's conduct is regulated by rules of professional conduct.

Special Rules of Evidence

The courts, federal and state, have rules of evidence, which determine what evidence will be admitted at civil and criminal trials. Generally, all evidence that is relevant, which means it tends to prove or disprove the factual matter being considered by the court, is admissible. The rules relating to privileges and hearsay, which are covered below, are special rules of evidence that control the admissibility of certain types of evidence. The rules relating to judicial notice and presumptions, which are also discussed below, are exceptions to the general rule that evidence must be introduced as formal proof of a factual matter.

Jury Consultants

The jury serves a vital function in the American legal system. The jury is the trier of fact in a civil jury trial. The jury's role is to weigh the evidence presented by both sides and reach a verdict. The United States Constitution guarantees a right to trial by jury in civil and criminal cases. The jury must be fair or impartial. The jury pool, the group of individuals from which a particular jury is selected, has to be representative of the community. Voir dire is the process of interviewing potential jurors to determine who will sit on the jury. The purpose of voir dire is to identify and remove individuals who cannot be fair and impartial. It is becoming more and more common for attorneys to hire jury consultants to assist in the selection of jurors, especially for high-profile cases.

A Court's Inherent Powers

Courts are created by statute. Their jurisdiction or authority is limited to the areas specified by the law, together with the inherent powers possessed by all courts. Inherent powers are powers reasonably necessary for the administration of justice. They are powers considered essential to the existence and proper functioning of the court. This article discusses a court's inherent power to regulate the judicial system, to regulate the practice of law, and to adopt court rules.