Court News and Announcement Information
- NCBJ Announces Blackshear Fellowship Opportunities for 2013 Conference
- Judge Bruce A. Harwood designated as Chief Judge
- Seeking applicants for a Bankruptcy Judge position in Maine
- Notice to Customers Presenting Checks
- Increase to Certain Filing Fees and Addition of New Filing Fee
- Revised Local Bankruptcy Rules, Interim Bankruptcy Rules, Administrative Orders
- Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule increase
- New Bankruptcy Judge Announced
- New Bankruptcy Court Clerk
- Mobile PACER Case Locator Launched
- Free PACER Training Site
- Judicial Conference Privacy Policy
- Old Court News
NCBJ Announces Blackshear Fellowship Opportunities for 2013 Conference ~ [return to Top]
The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges is now accepting applications for its Honorable Cornelius Blackshear Presidential Fellowships for minority lawyers who practice bankruptcy law. Click on the link below for information about Judge Blackshear, the Fellowship criteria, the application form, and other information about the program: http://www.ncbj.org/?page=BlackshearFellowship. The application deadline is August 2, 2013.
Named after esteemed Bankruptcy Judge Blackshear (now retired) of the Southern District of New York, the fellowship program provides both waived conference registration ($900 value) and a stipend for reasonable travel/hotel expenses for five up-and-coming minority bankruptcy practitioners (with less than 10 years' experience) who wish to attend the annual conference of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and who otherwise meet the selection criteria. This year's conference will be held October 30 - November 2 in Atlanta at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. To view this year's conference agenda, go to www.ncbj.org.
Judge Bruce A. Harwood designated as Chief Judge ~ [return to Top]
Chief Judge Joseph Laplante of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire recently designated Judge Bruce A. Harwood as Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire. Click here to view the order.
Seeking applicants for a Bankruptcy Judge position in Maine ~ [return to Top]
The First Circuit Court of Appeals is seeking applicants for a bankruptcy judge position for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine. See the announcement for details.
Notice to Customers Presenting Checks ~ [return to Top]
The Clerk's Office plans to start scanning all checks received as payment and submit them electronically to the U.S. Treasury. Additional information is available in Public Notice 13-4 and from the U.S. Treasury internet site.
Increase to Certain Filing Fees and Addition of New Filing Fee ~ [return to Top]
Effective May 1, 2013, the filing fee to reopen a chapter 9 or chapter 13 bankruptcy case will increase. In addition, the bankruptcy courts will begin charging a new fee of $25 for each claim transferred. See Public Notice 13-2 for additional information about the claim transfer fee and Public Notice 13-3 for additional information about the reopen fees.
Revised Local Bankruptcy Rules, Interim Bankruptcy Rules, Administrative Orders ~ [return to Top]
Effective February 1, 2013, the Court has adopted revised Local Bankruptcy Rules, Interim Bankruptcy Rules, Administrative Orders, and Local Bankruptcy Forms. Visit our Rules & Forms page to see a complete copy of the Rules, Administrative Orders, and Forms, as amended, as well as a redlined version showing the changes. A Summary of Significant Changes can also be found on our Rules & Forms page.
Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule increase ~ [return to Top]
On November 15, 2012 the Clerk issued a Public Notice, Notice 12-3, with regards to changes to the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule. Certain fees, many associated with chapter 11 cases, will increase effective November 21, 2012. For more information, visit our Filings Fees page.
New Bankruptcy Judge Announced ~ [return to Top]
Chief Judge Sandra Lynch of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit announced that Bruce A. Harwood has been selected to fill the upcoming vacancy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire created by the announced retirement of Judge J. Michael Deasy. Additional information can be found in the press release.
New Bankruptcy Court Clerk ~ [return to Top]
Bankruptcy Judge J. Michael Deasy of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Hampshire announced on June 21, 2012 that Jennifer A. Hayes has been selected to become the clerk of the New Hampshire Bankruptcy Court. The current clerk George A. Vannah is retiring on November 1, 2012, after more than 25 years of service with the court. Jennifer Hayes will assume duties as the clerk of the court on November 2, 2012. Click here for more information.
Mobile PACER Case Locator Launched ~ [return to Top]
The Judiciary has launched a new mobile web version of the PACER Case Locator. The PACER Case Locator allows users to search for court records in all district, Bankruptcy, and appellate courts. The Mobile PACER Case Locator is accessible using Apple devices, such as iPads, as well as Android devices version 2.2 or higher. When using supported mobile devices, users will be redirected to the Mobile PACER Case Locator when visiting pcl.uscourts.gov to search for court records on the go.
The Mobile PACER Case Locator can be accessed directly by users visiting pcl.uscourts.gov/searchmobile. There is nothing to install – it just works. For further information about this new service, contact the PACER Service Center at 800-676-6856.
Free PACER Training Site ~ [return to Top]
A free-of-charge website offers access to a training database through the Judiciary’s PACER service. The site features data from real cases in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York over a six-month period in 2007. The training site can be accessed via “Frequently Used” on the PACER website home page, www.pacer.gov. No registration is required, and a login and password are posted on the training site’s Welcome Page.
Users can search the database to find cases to explore. As searches are conducted, a transaction receipt display will explain what charge would have been accrued for the PACER service. Reviewing the receipts will help users understand their PACER charges and improve their search techniques to minimize charges.
Please be aware that the site utilizes the district court version of CM/ECF. While the search and navigation functions are similar, some of the information, events, and reports differ from the Bankruptcy CM/ECF system. For further information about this new service, contact the PACER Service Center at 800-676-6856.
Judicial Conference Privacy Policy ~ [return to Top]
The Judicial Conference Privacy Policy has been amended to restrict public access through PACER to all documents in Bankruptcy cases and related proceedings that were filed before December 1, 2003, and have been closed for more than one year. The case docket and docket information will remain available. Members of the general public may still obtain copies of documents (except those under seal) from the Clerk's Office. Additional information on the policy is available in Public Notice 12-01 or by contacting the Clerk's Office.
Old Court News ~ [return to Top]
Court News Items older than the above can be found by visiting our Public Notices page. Court News is usually released as a Public Notice.