CIVIL PROCEDURE IN THE CHIEF JUSTICE’S YEAR-END REPORT ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY

In 1970, then-Chief Justice Burger gave the inaugural Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary as an address to the American Bar Association. Each year since, the Chief Justice has released a Year-End Report. Civil procedure has frequently been a focus: diversity jurisdiction, the rulemaking process, changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and the role of district judges in civil litigation have all been highlighted in various Reports. This Article highlights the trend of civil procedure topics in the Year-End Reports, with a special emphasis on Chief Justice Roberts’ 2015 Report.