Sec. 472. Development and implementation of a civil justice
expense and delay reduction plan
- (a) The civil justice expense and delay reduction plan
implemented by a district court shall be developed or selected, as the case
may be, after consideration of the recommendations of an advisory group
appointed in accordance with section 478 of this
title.
- (b) The advisory group of a United States district court
shall submit to the court a report, which shall be made available to the
public and which shall include -
- (1) an assessment of the matters referred to in
subsection
(c)(1);
- (2) the basis for its recommendation that the district
court
develop a plan or select a model plan;
- (3) recommended measures, rules and programs; and
(4) an explanation of the manner in which the recommended plan
complies with section 473 of
this title.
- (c)
- (1) In developing its recommendations, the advisory group of a district
court shall promptly complete a thorough assessment of the state of the
court's civil and criminal dockets. In performing the assessment for a
district court, the advisory group shall -
- (A) determine the condition of the civil and
criminal dockets;
- (B) identify trends in case filings and in the
demands being
placed on the court's resources;
- (C) identify the principal causes of cost and delay
in civil
litigation, giving consideration to such potential causes as
court procedures and the ways in which litigants and their
attorneys approach and conduct litigation; and
(D) examine the
extent to which costs and delays could be
reduced by a better
assessment of the impact of new legislation
on the courts.
- (2) In developing its recommendations, the advisory
group of a district court shall take into account the particular needs and
circumstances of the district court, litigants in such court, and the
litigants' attorneys.
- (3) The advisory group of a district court shall ensure
that its recommended actions include significant contributions to be made by
the court, the litigants, and the litigants' attorneys toward reducing cost
and delay and thereby facilitating access to the courts.
- (d) The chief judge of the district court shall transmit a
copy of the plan implemented in accordance with subsection (a) and the report
prepared in accordance with subsection (b) of this section to -
- (1) the Director of the Administrative Office of the
United
States Courts;
- (2) the judicial council of the circuit in which the
district
court is located; and
(3) the chief judge of each of the
other United States district courts
located in such circuit.
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