The Court of International Trade has made changes to its fee schedule that will take effect Jan. 22, the court announced. The court's attorney admission fee (the original admission of an attorney to practice) will now be $199, up from $88, while applications to appear pro hac vice, which previously were free, will now cost $75. Renewal of admission registrations will be due every five years, along with a $75 fee, up from $50. Duplicate certificates of admission or certificates of good standing will cost $45, up from $20. Additionally, U.S. government attorneys requesting a certificate of their admission to the trade bar will now pay $45 for the certificate to be printed, instead of $88. Because they can't be charged a fee for admission to practice before CIT, the certificates aren't automatically generated. The fee changes were approved Dec. 12.

The nominations to fill two judicial vacancies at the Court of International Trade were returned to President Joe Biden after the full Senate chamber didn't move to approve the two nominees within the calendar year. The nominations, Lisa Wang, assistant secretary of commerce for enforcement and compliance, and Joseph Laroski, partner at Schagrin Associates, were approved by the Judiciary Committee in September with votes of 12-9 and 18-3, respectively (see 2309140054). Wang faced greater scrutiny from Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, being subjected to questions about comments she made as an undergraduate student regarding "liberal hypocrisy," a term used by a Republican senator in characterizing a specifc comment he questioned (see 2307270043). Wang's and Laroski's nominations sat untouched following their approval from the Judiciary Committee. Biden will have the opportunity to renew their nominations in the new year.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman argued against her colleagues' argument that Newman's case against their investigation into her fitness to continue serving on the bench was mooted. Filing a sur-reply at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the 96-year-old Newman said that her colleagues' voluntary cessation of an order indefinitely suspending the judge from hearing cases is "insufficient to moot the challenge," adding that the "complained-of conduct fits into the 'capable of repetition, yet evading review' exception to mootness" (The Hon. Pauline Newman v. The Hon. Kimberly Moore, D.D.C. # 23-01334).

Amendments to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's rules took effect Dec. 1. The court amended Forms 6a and 24, adding that the amended forms will be required for any filings made on or after Dec. 1, a court notice said. Form 24 "satisfies the Bill of Costs form requirementsa" under Federal Circuit Rule 39(b), while Form 6A "satisfies the requirement for incarcerated movants to file a supplemental form for prisoners," under CAFC Rule 24(b).

All of Judge Pauline Newman's claims against her colleagues on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's investigation of her fitness to continue serving on the bench are "straightforwardly dismissed," judges Kimberly Moore, Sharon Prost and Richard Taranto said in a reply brief supporting their motion to dismiss the case (Hon. Pauline Newman v. Hon Kimberly Moore, D.D.C. # 23-01334).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will create a "learning center" with the goal of educating local public school students at the court, Chief Judge Kimbelry Moore announced Nov. 20 at the Federal Circuit Bar Association's 2023 Annual Dinner & Reception. The center is expected to open in September 2024 and will feature tours of the courtroom's "historic spaces" along with interactive education programming centering on "the intersection between law and technology." The center will focus on combining "civic education, the judiciary, and STEM" and cap off a multiyear renovation of the National Courts complex, the court said.

The U.S. Judicial Conference and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit approved a series of increases to various national and local court fees to account for inflation, the appellate court announced. The new fees, which take effect Dec. 1, include an increase in the attorney admission fee, from $238, which currently includes a $50 local court fee, to $300, including a $101 local court fee. Docketing fees for petitions for review and for mandamus jumped from $500 to $600, and a fee for search of court records will rise from $32 to $34.

Nine new members have been appointed to the Court of International Trade's Rules Advisory Committee, the trade court announced on Nov. 3. Representing the different sections within the trade bar, the new members are DOJ's Sosun Bae and Luke Mathers; Jill Cramer of Mowry & Grimson; the Commerce Department's Emma Hunter; CBP's Tamari Lagvilava; Joshua Morey of Kelley Drye; Richard O'Neill of Neville Peterson; R. Will Planert of Morris Manning; and Devin Sikes of Akin Gump.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly Moore will announce a "forthcoming new initiative" at the Federal Circuit Bar Association 2023 Annual Dinner & Reception to be held Nov. 17, the court announced. Moore will give the keynote at the event, which will be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Court of International Trade approved increased transcript fee rates effective Oct. 1. A transcript to be delivered within 30 days after receiving an order now costs $4 a page, while a 14-day transcript costs $4.70 a page. A seven-day transcript is $5.35 a page, a three-day transcript is $6 a page, a next-day transcript is $6.70 a page, and a two-hour transcript is $8 a page. The first copy costs range from $1 to $1.35, while each additional copy to the same party ranges from $0.70 to $1. Real-time transcripts, which are unedited and delivered electronically during a proceeding or immediately following adjournment, cost $3.40 per page for one feed, $2.35 per page for two to four feeds or $1.65 per page for five or more feeds. The price hikes were authorized by the Judicial Conference of the U.S.