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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 604. Duties of Director generally
(a) The Director shall be the administrative officer of the
courts, and under the supervision and direction of the Judicial
Conference of the United States, shall:
(1) Supervise all administrative matters relating to the
offices of clerks and other clerical and administrative personnel
of the courts;
(2) Examine the state of the dockets of the courts; secure
information as to the courts' need of assistance; prepare and
transmit semiannually to the chief judges of the circuits,
statistical data and reports as to the business of the courts;
(3) Submit to the annual meeting of the Judicial Conference of
the United States, at least two weeks prior thereto, a report of
the activities of the Administrative Office and the state of the
business of the courts, together with the statistical data
submitted to the chief judges of the circuits under paragraph
(a)(2) of this section, and the Director's recommendations, which
report, data and recommendations shall be public documents.
(4) Submit to Congress and the Attorney General copies of the
report, data and recommendations required by paragraph (a)(3) of
this section;
(5) Fix the compensation of clerks of court, deputies,
librarians, criers, messengers, law clerks, secretaries,
stenographers, clerical assistants, and other employees of the
courts whose compensation is not otherwise fixed by law, and,
notwithstanding any other provision of law, pay on behalf of
Justices and judges of the United States appointed to hold office
during good behavior, aged 65 or over, any increases in the cost
of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance imposed after April
24, 1999, including any expenses generated by such payments, as
authorized by the Judicial Conference of the United States;
(6) Determine and pay necessary office expenses of courts,
judges, and those court officials whose expenses are by law
allowable, and the lawful fees of United States magistrate
judges;
(7) Regulate and pay annuities to widows and surviving
dependent children of justices and judges of the United States,
judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy
judges, United States magistrate judges, Directors of the Federal
Judicial Center, and Directors of the Administrative Office, and
necessary travel and subsistence expenses incurred by judges,
court officers and employees, and officers and employees of the
Administrative Office, and the Federal Judicial Center, while
absent from their official stations on official business, without
regard to the per diem allowances and amounts for reimbursement
of actual and necessary expenses established by the Administrator
of General Services under section 5702 of title 5, except that
the reimbursement of subsistence expenses may not exceed that
authorized by the Director for judges of the United States under
section 456 of this title;
(8) Disburse appropriations and other funds for the maintenance
and operation of the courts;
(9) Establish pretrial services pursuant to section 3152 of
title 18, United States Code;
(10)(A) Purchase, exchange, transfer, distribute, and assign
the custody of lawbooks, equipment, supplies, and other personal
property for the judicial branch of Government (except the
Supreme Court unless otherwise provided pursuant to paragraph
(17)); (B) provide or make available readily to each court
appropriate equipment for the interpretation of proceedings in
accordance with section 1828 of this title; and (C) enter into
and perform contracts and other transactions upon such terms as
the Director may deem appropriate as may be necessary to the
conduct of the work of the judicial branch of Government (except
the Supreme Court unless otherwise provided pursuant to paragraph
(17)), and contracts for nonpersonal services providing pretrial
services, agencies, for the interpretation of proceedings, and
for the provision of special interpretation services pursuant to
section 1828 of this title may be awarded without regard to
section 3709 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (41
U.S.C. 5);
(11) Audit vouchers and accounts of the courts, the Federal
Judicial Center, the offices providing pretrial services, and
their clerical and administrative personnel;
(12) Provide accommodations for the courts, the Federal
Judicial Center, the offices providing pretrial services and
their clerical and administrative personnel;
(13) Lay before Congress, annually, statistical tables that
will accurately reflect the business transacted by the several
bankruptcy courts, and all other pertinent data relating to such
courts;
(14) Pursuant to section 1827 of this title, establish a
program for the certification and utilization of interpreters in
courts of the United States;
(15) Pursuant to section 1828 of this title, establish a
program for the provision of special interpretation services in
courts of the United States;
(16)(A) In those districts where the Director considers it
advisable based on the need for interpreters, authorize the
full-time or part-time employment by the court of certified
interpreters; (B) where the Director considers it advisable based
on the need for interpreters, appoint certified interpreters on a
full-time or part-time basis, for services in various courts when
he determines that such appointments will result in the
economical provision of interpretation services; and (C) pay out
of moneys appropriated for the judiciary interpreters' salaries,
fees, and expenses, and other costs which may accrue in
accordance with the provisions of sections 1827 and 1828 of this
title;
(17) In the Director's discretion, (A) accept and utilize
voluntary and uncompensated (gratuitous) services, including
services as authorized by section 3102(b) of title 5, United
States Code; and (B) accept, hold, administer, and utilize gifts
and bequests of personal property for the purpose of aiding or
facilitating the work of the judicial branch of Government, but
gifts or bequests of money shall be covered into the Treasury;
(18) Establish procedures and mechanisms within the judicial
branch for processing fines, restitution, forfeitures of bail
bonds or collateral, and assessments;
(19) Regulate and pay annuities to bankruptcy judges and United
States magistrate judges in accordance with section 377 of this
title and paragraphs (1)(B) and (2) of section 2(c) of the
Retirement and Survivors' Annuities for Bankruptcy Judges and
Magistrates Act of 1988;
(20) Periodically compile -
(A) the rules which are prescribed under section 2071 of this
title by courts other than the Supreme Court;
(B) the rules which are prescribed under section 358 of this
title; and
(C) the orders which are required to be publicly available
under section 360(b) of this title;
so as to provide a current record of such rules and orders;
(21) Establish a program of incentive awards for employees of
the judicial branch of the United States Government, other than
any judge who is entitled to hold office during good behavior;
(22) Receive and expend, either directly or by transfer to the
United States Marshals Service or other Government agency, funds
appropriated for the procurement, installation, and maintenance
of security equipment and protective services for the United
States Courts in courtrooms and adjacent areas, including
building ingress/egress control, inspection of packages, directed
security patrols, and other similar activities;
(23) Regulate and pay annuities to judges of the United States
Court of Federal Claims in accordance with section 178 of this
title; and
(24) Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the
Supreme Court or the Judicial Conference of the United States.
(b) The clerical and administrative personnel of the courts shall
comply with all requests by the Director for information or
statistical data as to the state of court dockets.
(c) Inspection of court dockets outside the continental United
States may be made through United States officials residing within
the jurisdiction where the inspection is made.
(d) The Director, under the supervision and direction of the
conference, shall:
(1) supervise all administrative matters relating to the
offices of the United States magistrate judges;
(2) gather, compile, and evaluate all statistical and other
information required for the performance of his duties and the
duties of the conference with respect to such officers;
(3) lay before Congress annually statistical tables and other
information which will accurately reflect the business which has
come before the various United States magistrate judges,
including (A) the number of matters in which the parties
consented to the exercise of jurisdiction by a magistrate judge,
(B) the number of appeals taken pursuant to the decisions of
magistrate judges and the disposition of such appeals, and (C)
the professional background and qualifications of individuals
appointed under section 631 of this title to serve as magistrate
judge;
(4) prepare and distribute a manual, with annual supplements
and periodic revisions, for the use of such officers, which shall
set forth their powers and duties, describe all categories of
proceedings that may arise before them, and contain such other
information as may be required to enable them to discharge their
powers and duties promptly, effectively, and impartially.
(e) The Director may promulgate appropriate rules and regulations
approved by the conference and not inconsistent with any provision
of law, to assist him in the performance of the duties conferred
upon him by subsection (d) of this section. Magistrate judges shall
keep such records and make such reports as are specified in such
rules and regulations.
(f) The Director may make, promulgate, issue, rescind, and amend
rules and regulations (including regulations prescribing standards
of conduct for Administrative Office employees) as may be necessary
to carry out the Director's functions, powers, duties, and
authority. The Director may publish in the Federal Register such
rules, regulations, and notices for the judicial branch of
Government as the Director determines to be of public interest; and
the Director of the Federal Register hereby is authorized to accept
and shall publish such materials.
(g)(1) When authorized to exchange personal property, the
Director may exchange or sell similar items and may apply the
exchange allowance or proceeds of sale in such cases in whole or in
part payment for the property acquired, but any transaction carried
out under the authority of this subsection shall be evidenced in
writing.
(2) The Director hereby is authorized to enter into contracts for
public utility services and related terminal equipment for periods
not exceeding ten years.
(3)(A) In order to promote the recycling and reuse of recyclable
materials, the Director may provide for the sale or disposal of
recyclable scrap materials from paper products and other consumable
office supplies held by an entity within the judicial branch.
(B) The sale or disposal of recyclable materials under
subparagraph (A) shall be consistent with the procedures provided
in sections 541-555 of title 40 for the sale of surplus property.
(C) Proceeds from the sale of recyclable materials under
subparagraph (A) shall be deposited as offsetting collections to
the fund established under section 1931 of this title and shall
remain available until expended to reimburse any appropriations for
the operation and maintenance of the judicial branch.
(h)(1) The Director shall, out of funds appropriated for the
operation and maintenance of the courts, provide facilities and pay
necessary expenses incurred by the judicial councils of the
circuits and the Judicial Conference under chapter 16 of this
title, including mileage allowance and witness fees, at the same
rate as provided in section 1821 of this title. Administrative and
professional assistance from the Administrative Office of the
United States Courts may be requested by each judicial council and
the Judicial Conference for purposes of discharging their duties
under chapter 16 of this title.
(2) The Director of the Administrative Office of the United
States Courts shall include in his annual report filed with the
Congress under this section a summary of the number of complaints
filed with each judicial council under chapter 16 of this title,
indicating the general nature of such complaints and the
disposition of those complaints in which action has been taken.
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