SGE1, Clerk of Court
in response to
by
Mosaic ImmunoEngineering is a nanotechnology-based immunotherapy company developing therapeutics and vaccines to positively impact the lives of patients and their families.
Message: SGE1, Clerk of Court
I don't believe that "insider information" would be a problem:
David J Maland
(approximately 3/4 down)
Be well
Atlanta, GA from 1986-1992, and Deputy-in-Charge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, St. Paul, MN from 1980 - 1986.
Michael N. Milby (Strategies for Changing Organizations) was appointed Clerk of the United States District Court for the
Southern District of Texas on October 29, 1993. He received his B.S. in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University in
1982 and his M.B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1984. Mr. Milby began his career with the United States District Courts
for the Southern District of Texas in 1984 as Financial Administrator. He served as Director of Administrative Programs
and Planning for four years and became Acting United States District Clerk on July 27, 1992.
John Morrill, Chief Deputy of Operations, (CEO, Chambers Electronic Organizer). John Morrill is a native of Washington
State and has worked in the federal judiciary since 1990. Mr. Morrill has held several positions in the U.S. District Court,
Southern District of California, including Docket Clerk, Courtroom Deputy to U.S. District Judge Howard B. Turrentine,
Courtroom Deputy to U.S. Magistrate Judge Leo S. Papas, Budget Analyst, Financial Supervisor, and Chief Deputy of
Operations. Mr. Morrill also served as a Training Specialist at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California,
from 1997 through 1999. Mr. Morrill became the Chief Deputy of Operations with the U.S. District Court in May 2005.
Mr. Morrill has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from San
Diego State University. Prior to serving at the U.S. District Court, Mr. Morrill worked at the Washington State House of
Representatives in Olympia, Washington.
Michael Nagy (CEO: Chambers Electronic Organizer) has been the Director of Information Technology for the Southern
District of California in San Diego since March, 2003. Prior to that, he worked in the I.T. Department at the District Court
for the Middle District of Florida for five years. Before coming to the federal judiciary, Michael served three years as the
Regional Systems Analyst for the world’s largest kidney dialysis organization, supporting Florida, Alabama and Puerto
Rico. Michael worked. eight years as the Director of Data Processing for a DME company and four years as a Controller
for a manufacturing company, both located in Youngstown, Ohio.Aformer Unix/Xenix programmer, COBOLprogrammer
and RPG II programmer, Michael later switched gears to focus more on the networking side of I.T. He is a Novell Certified
NetWare Engineer, as well as a Microsoft Certified Professional. Michael is a graduate of Youngstown State University,
Instructor Biographies
Continued from page 24
Continued on page 26
Spring 2007 • FCCA Journal
26 • www.fcca.ws
holding a degree in Computer Science and a graduate of the Institute of Computer Management with a degree in Computer
Programming. Michael has been an active member of the FCCA since 2000 and is currently the 9
th
Circuit Representative
for the FCCA.
Michelle Norphlet (Working Collaboratively) is a proud alumni of Wilberforce University where she obtained her bachelor’s
degree in Political Science. Michelle received her master’s degree in Justice and Public Safety from Auburn University.
Currently, she is working on a second master’s degree in On-line Teaching through virtual learning at the University of
Illinois. Prior to accepting her current position with the FJC as an Education Specialist, she worked as a Training Con-
sultant with the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC. Her primary responsibility there was to assist
with designing Weapons of Mass Destruction /Terrorism Awareness web-based training courses. Michelle unselfishly
volunteered to go to New Orleans with the Red Cross team to assist after Hurricane Katrina, where her work was valued
by her office and her colleagues there.
Michael O’Brien (Roundtable Moderator - Electronic Case Files) is the Chief Deputy Clerk - Tucson Division, U.S. District
Court for the District of Arizona. Michael has over 18 years of management experience in the courts. He was appointed
Chief Deputy Clerk in December, 2002. Before coming to Tucson, Michael served as the Deputy-In-Charge of the federal
district court divisional office in Orange County for the Central District of California.Additionally, he worked for over nine
years in various management positions with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas and spent
three years as supervisor with a state court in the suburbs of Chicago. He holds a masters degree in public administration
from Northern Illinois University and a masters degree in legal administration from the University of Denver. He is a 2002
graduate of the Federal Judicial Center’s Leadership Program.
Pete Rea (Basic Self Defense) has been a U.S. Pretrial Services Officer for six years and spent two years as a county probation
officer. He is currently a CPR instructor for PTS (and has been for the past three years). Pete was appointed Officer Safety
Instructor in 2006 for Pretrial Services for the District of Arizona, and attended the Officer Safety Instructor academy at
FLETC in South Carolina in August 2006.
Marcia (Hernández) Resler (Spanish Survival Skills) is a student of languages and cultures, having lived in Costa Rica,
Mexico City, New York, the Midwest, and Arizona. She is fluent in Spanish and English, and speaks French, Italian, Por-
tugese, (and some Pig Latin). Still, “home” is Costa Rica, where Marcia spent her childhood. So, after graduating from
John Brown University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, she returned to Costa Rica, to work at the main daily
newspaper. But, Cupid’s arrow struck deep. So, after marrying “Mr. Wonderful” (a Coloradoan) in 1988, she returned to
the United States permanently, and became the assistant editor of a bilingual weekly newspaper in Southern Colorado.
In 1996, Marcia found her true calling as a professional interpreter, and after moving to Arizona in 1998, she spent three
years as a staff interpreter for the Maricopa County Superior Courts. She received a Federal Certification as a Spanish
language interpreter in 1999 and has been on staff with the U.S. District Courts since 2001.
Kerry Reynolds (Roundtable Moderator - Case Managers, Courtroom Deputies and Magistrate Courtroom Clerks) is the Court-
room Deputy Clerk to the Hon. Frederick J. Martone in Phoenix, Arizona. Kerry has been with the Clerk’s Office since July
2006. Prior to joining the District of Arizona, Kerry worked as a Courtroom Clerk in the Juvenile Division of the Maricopa
County Superior Court for over six years and also worked as an Office Manager and Legal Assistant to a criminal sole
practitioner.
Jesus Rodriguez (Border Patrol Issues) was born and raised in Arizona, and is a 3
rd
generation American of Hispanic de-
scent. He joined U.S. Border Patrol in 1995, where his first duty station was in El Paso, Texas. While there, he participated
in Operation Hold the Line and transportation checks (international airport, bus, freight and Amtrak train checks). Jesus
transferred to the Tucson Sector/Casa Grande Station in September 2001. Presently, he is a Supervisory Border PatrolAgent,
temporally assigned to Tucson Sector Public Affairs Office.
Jill Sayenga (AO Update - Plenary Session)is currently the Deputy Director, Administrative Office. She joined the AO from
the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, where she served as the circuit executive for eight years, and before that
as the deputy circuit executive for ten years. She was also special assistant to the chairman of the Council of the District
Instructor Biographies
Continued from page 25
Continued on page 27
FCCA Journal • Spring 2007
www.fcca.ws • 27
of Columbia, co-director of the Criminal Code Project of the Committee on the Judiciary for the Council of the District of
Columbia,andservedasstaffattorneyforthatproject. Ms.SayengagraduatedsummacumlaudefromFordhamUniversity,
where she was Phi Beta Kappa. She received her J. D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Pat Shubird (IT Infrastructure, Court Services and Applications) has been the Director of Information Technology for the
Southern District of Alabama in Mobile since October, 2001. Prior to that, he was the Systems Manager at the District Court
for the Middle District of Alabama in Montgomery for twelve years. Before coming to the federal judiciary, Pat served
four years as a U.S. Army officer in the Signal Corps at various assignments throughout western Europe. During his first
fifteen months in the Southern District of Alabama, he oversaw the implementation of several major national applications,
including FAS
4
T, JMS, Lotus Notes, and CM/ECF. He has completed virtually every class offered for District Courts at
the Training Center in San Antonio - twenty classes and counting. He is a certified Unix System Administrator, as well as
a Novell Certified NetWare Administrator and a Microsoft Certified Professional. Pat has been active in the Information
Technology community in the judiciary, serving on several committees over the years. He has served as a mentor to many
other courts for the CM/ECF project. Recently, he was invited to serve as a presenter at the National Conference for District
Court Clerks in Denver, Colorado. Pat is a graduate of Auburn University and holds a degree in Management.
Rhonda Spencer (Basic Self Defense) began her probation career in January 1996 with Monterey County Probation in Cali-
fornia. She was hired as a federal PO in the District of Arizona in June 2001. She began as a defensive tactics instructor
in May 2002 and became the Probation Officer of Safety Instruction for the district in October 2006. She completed OSI
training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in December 2006.
Robin Tabora (Inspiring Yourself and Others) is the Chief Deputy for Administration for the United States District Court for
the District of Columbia. She is responsible for overseeing the areas of budget, finance, jury, procurement, facilities, inter-
preting and court reporting. She has served in this capacity since March 11, 2002. Prior to assuming her current position,
Ms. Tabora worked for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut serving as a Courtroom Deputy for
many years and as Deputy-in-Charge of the Hartford divisional from 1994 to 2002. Ms. Tabora received a bachelor’s degree
in Communications from the University of Connecticut. She has completed several FJC training programs including the
Federal Court Leadership Program and the Gettysburg Institute. Ms. Tabora is currently serving on the Court Reporters
Advisory Group and recently completed a four year term on the Federal Judicial Center, Court Education Advisory Com-
mittee. She is currently a member of the Federal Court Clerk’s Association Board of Directors and serves as the Chair of
the FCCA Conference Planning Committee.
Betsy Tait (Roundtable Discussion - Jury Administrators) began working for the District Court in 2000 as a jury analyst. She
deals with the day-to-day jury demands and was also involved in the implementation of the web AJIS system which in-
cluded the on-line questionnaire.
Greg Torbenson (Mail and Identity Theft) is a U.S. Postal Inspector assigned to the Los Angeles Division and domiciled
in the Phoenix Field Office. Greg has been a Postal Inspector for 5 years conducting investigations of identity theft, mail
theft, raised/counterfeit postal money order schemes and assaults/threats in the Metro Phoenix area. Prior to becoming a
Postal Inspector, Greg worked ten years in various assignments and locations for the United States Postal Service including
Senior Budget & Financial Analyst and Manager, Budget.
Sally Turner (Roundtable Moderator - Docket Clerks) began her career in 1996 with the Clerk’s Office in the Customer Services
section, where she spent five years. She was promoted to Docket Clerk in 2001, and has been responsible for all types of
docketing. In July of 2005, Sally was promoted to Magistrate Courtroom Clerk for the Honorable David K. Duncan. In
December 2006, Sally was selected to fill the position of Quality Assurance/Case Processing Specialist. In addition, Sally
was an active member of the CM/ECF Dictionary Committee.
Pedro Valenzuela (Basic Self Defense) began his probation career in May 1998, with the Pinal CountyAdult Probation Office
in Florence, Arizona. He was hired as a federal PO in the District of Arizona in May 2000. He became a federal defensive
tactics instructor in October 2001. In November 2003, he became a mental health specialist. He completed OSI training at
the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston, South Carolina, in August 2006.
Instructor Biographies
Continued from page 26
Continued on page 28
Spring 2007 • FCCA Journal
28 • www.fcca.ws
Lance Wilson (Inspiring Yourself and Others) is the Clerk of Court for the District of Nevada and has served in that position
since 1995. Prior to his appointment as the Clerk in the District of Nevada, Mr. Wilson served as the Clerk of Court for
the Middle District of Pennsylvania from 1990 to 1995. Mr. Wilson joined the federal courts in 1987 as a Deputy-in-Charge
in the District of Arizona. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration with a minor in
Fine Arts from Alvernia College, Reading, Pennsylvania in 1980 and a Master of Science Degree in Judicial Administration
from the University of Denver College of Law in 1981.
Kathleen Zorattti (Roundtable Moderator - Case Managers, Courtroom Deputies and Magistrate Courtroom Clerks) is the Court-
room Deputy Clerk to the Hon. Roslyn O. Silver in Phoenix, Arizona, and has been with the Clerk’s Office since June 2004.
Prior to joining the District of Arizona, Kathleen worked as a Courtroom Clerk in the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the
Maricopa County Superior Court for eight years. Kathleen has also worked as a freelance Court Reporter for over 5 years
in the state of Ohio.
Instructor Biographies
Continued from page 27
Education
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Phone: 800.233.0438
E-Mail: Customerservice@Federalfirst.com
FCCA Journal • Spring 2007
www.fcca.ws • 29
What would you say if you could reduce the bulk of mail entering and exiting your courthouse during the fall clerk-
ship season? What would you say if you could reduce your postage and mailing costs associated with clerkship hiring?
What would you say if the whole process of sorting, screening, and communicating with clerkship applicants could be
simplified? It sounds almost too good to be true. But, OSCAR simplifies the process.
OSCAR is the On-line System for Clerkship Application and Review and it has just completed a successful second
year within the judiciary. The number of participating federal judges had grown exponentially from 385 judges in year
1 to 624 judges in year 2, and we anticipate that number to increase to 800 to 900 judges in year 3. OSCAR enables clerk-
ship applicants to select the judges to whom they wish to apply and then build and submit their applications on-line.
Applicants upload packages consisting of resumes, cover letters, transcripts, and writing samples while recommenders
receive an electronic invitation to log onto the system and upload their recommendation letters. When the applications
are complete, judges can log onto the system and sort, screen, and review their applications on-screen, downloading and
printing only the materials they wish to see in paper form.
You may ask what are the benefits of my judges using OSCAR? Well, there are several direct benefits. First of all,
the sorting and screening capabilities allow judges to easily narrow their pool of applicants down with a few mouse
clicks. Judges can search on applicants from a particular law school(s), graduation year, class rank, law review/journal,
and geographic region. If they are interested in candidates that have experience in antitrust, OSCAR provides a full-text
word search capability to easily find those candidates. Simply type in the word “antitrust” and OSCAR will search the
applicant pool of resumes, cover letters, and writing samples and display the magic results—a pool of applicants that meet
the judge’s hiring criteria.
Another beneficial feature of OSCAR is its folder management and application rating system. Judges can set up and
personalize the names of their folders (e.g., Interested, Not Interested, Interview, etc.). Once this is done, they can easily
move their applications into folders for easier access. While reviewing applications, OSCAR provides a five-star rating
system that allows the users to assign their own personal rating to the applicatins.
When the applications are ready for review, OSCAR has a selective printing capability. The idea is that once you have
cut the pool of applicants, you are ready to print. OSCAR has a built-in feature that allows your judges to select the ap-
plication documents for printing. For example, your judge may have 50 applicants that he or she is interested in reading
their resumes and cover letters. OSCAR will generate a .pdf packet with a table of contents listing the applicant names
and page numbers, the applicant profile form, and the resumes and cover letters of those applicants. The selective printing
capability allows your judge to pick and choose which applicants and what documents to print.
Another feature of OSCAR is its great communication tool that allows judges to directly communicate with their ap-
plicants via e-mail. The e-mail feature allows the judges to send one e-mail to all their applicants letting them know that
they have received their application or one e-mail to a group of applicants setting up interviews. This communications
tool eliminates the time-consuming paper process and postage costs associated with mailing out postcards/letters to ap-
plicants.
In addition to these features, OSCAR Version 3.0 will be rolled out in May 2007 with new system enhancements that
will continue to make the system easier to use. After each hiring season, the OSCAR Committee sends out a survey to
all participating judges soliciting comments and recommendations for improvement. Based on last year’s survey results,
Version 3.0 will incorporate several new features:
•
Adding a new section called “The Clerkship” that identifies the term of the clerkship, start/end dates, ap-
plication requirements, and the ability to open the clerkship for accepting applications and close it;
•
Improving the folder management system to include renaming folders and adding sub-folders;
•
Expanding the searching/sorting capabilities to add geographic locations and publications;
•
Creating sub-accounts for chambers’ staff;
OSCAR
By Laura Simon,
Oscar Program Manager, District of Columbia
Continued on page 30
Spring 2007 • FCCA Journal
30 • www.fcca.ws
•
Providing direct access to the Recommender’s Account if the participating judge who is accepting applica-
tions is also a recommender—eliminating the need for two separate logins and passwords;
•
Providing the ability to access the OSCAR System from the J-NET under the Jobs web page; and
Adding the court unit administrator where the Clerk’s Office can designate an administrator to manage their judges’
accounts (e.g., resetting passwords, creating sub-accounts for chambers, etc.).
The OSCAR system is available to all judges who wish to use it. For now, the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia currently manages the program on behalf of the judiciary. The information on registration and sign-ups for
participating in the program for the 2008 clerkship season will be emailed on May 1, 2007. If any of your judges are inter-
ested in joining the program now, please have them contact the OSCAR Support Desk at 202-354-3005 or send an e-mail to
oscar-support@dcd.uscourts.gov. To obtain additional information on the program, check out the OSCAR Informational
Website for reviewing What’s New, Frequently Asked Questions, User Guide, Tutorials, and OSCAR Participating Judge
List. The website is located at http://inetdcd.dcd.circdc.dcn/OSCAR.html or on the J-NET under Jobs.
OSCAR
Continued from page 29
By Robert L. Walker, Case Manager
United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
FCCA ListServ Sign-up Made Easier
The Deputy Clerks’ Council is proud to announce that in just a year, the number of active participants of the FCCA
ListServ has grown steadily. Our goal during the upcoming membership drive is to make it easy and convenient for all
members to join.
So, what is a ListServ? AListServ is essentially a powerful electronic mailing list of people interested in communicating
on a certain topic or specific area of interest. Some think of it as a bulletin board readily available for all to see. It allows
for widespread distribution of a variety of information within a group and facilitates discussion among a group with or
without moderation. It reaches a vast audience almost instantly and solicits an interactive response. It provides a unique
opportunity for users in the workplace to give back to their profession.
How does it benefit the FCCA? Our ListServ is a powerful, effective and convenient method for members to communicate
all kinds of information simultaneously to every member registered to the list, including general information, announce-
ments, notifications, suggestions, comments, work-related questions and solutions - you name it.
For example, Board officers may need to make a last-minute announcement right before a conference, or you may be
looking for a conference roommate to help save on expenses, or you have a suggestion for a specific training topic prior
to a conference, or you may want to inquire how other court personnel dealt with a work-related issue - the possibilities
are endless.
The FCCA ListServ allows for fast, simple and informative communication between members who share common
organization goals and work-related interests. This is an exciting and convenient opportunity to gather and exchange
information, which in turn assists in the strength and growth of the FCCA and our professions.
The FCCA ListServ operates from the DCN, a secured network, which requires that you use your Lotus Notes work
e-mail address to communicate with it. It is inaccessible from the outside, including your home PC, and that closes the
door to spammers, and prevents hacking and mail spoofing.
The Deputy Clerks’ Council once again extends its sincere appreciation to Steve Mandel and Don Miller, IT profes-
sionals from the Northern District of Florida at Pensacola. Steve and Don constructed the ListServ using a secured server
in their district. They will continue to serve as List Owners and are always available to provide us with technical assistance,
privacy and security.
Continued on page 31
FCCA Journal • Spring 2007
www.fcca.ws • 31
FCCA ListServ Sign-up Made Easier
Continued from page 30
During the upcoming membership drive, the membership application will include a question - Would you like to
be registered for the FCCA ListServ? When you check YES, you will be automatically registered to the ListServ and will
receive further instructions on how to use it.
If you are ready to register now and learn how to use the ListServ, please keep reading.
There are two key addresses to remember. To send commands to the FCCAListServ, please use the command address:
listserv@listserv.flnd.circ11.dcn. To send messages, please use: FCCA@listserv.flnd.circ11.dcn.
Open Lotus Notes and type listserv@listserv.flnd.circ11.dcn in the address (To:) field. Do not type anything in the
Subject field. Next, in the body of the message, type the command: SUBSCRIBE FCCA and your name (i.e., SUBSCRIBE
FCCA Robert L. Walker). All commands are not case sensitive, so you can use upper or lower case letters and include
your middle initial.
Within seconds, you will receive a Welcome Message, an Instructional Message, and a Subscription Confirmation
Message. Congratulations, you are now registered!
If you don’t receive all three messages, please notify Steve or Don by regular emaill at Stephen_Mandel@flnd.uscourts.
gov or Don_Miller@flnd.uscourts.gov. They are ready to assist you.
When you are ready to send a message or response, use the message address, include a subject and type your message.
Please remember, when you use the ListServ, all messages and responses are sent to everyone on the list. If you prefer
that your message or response be sent to a specific group or individual, please use your regular Lotus Notes and not the
ListServ.
If at any time you wish to avoid receiving a heavy influx of emails, which may be overwhelming to your inbox, you
may receive them in digest format. Use the command address and type the command: SET FCCADIGEST. This will compile
an entire day’s posting into a convenient single daily e-mail.
You may unsubscribe to the FCCA ListServ at any time. Use the command address and type the command: SIGNOFF
FCCA. Members are not permanently committed to the list and may leave at any time.
Contributions to the FCCAListServ are automatically archived. Archived files offer the opportunity to maintain previ-
ous postings for both discussions and broadcast e-mail. All users may want to review them to determine if their question
has already been answered, if a subject topic has been discussed or an announcement has been made.
For a list of archive files, use the command address and type the command: INDEX FCCA. To view a specific archive
file, type the command: GET FCCA Logxxxx (i.e., GET FCCA LOG5555). A search option for archive files may be added
at a later date.
For a complete list of commands, use the command address and type the command INFO REFCARD.
As with any email, proper etiquette is essential. Please identify yourself, keep your messages and comments brief,
stick to the topic intended for discussion, be courteous and considerate of others’time, avoid meaningless messages, such
as “I agree!,” and most important, never send jokes or anything inappropriate.
Remember, it’s your option whether to join in and respond to whichever messages or discussions you choose. As a
continued member, you will never miss any information that could be important to you, especially when notifications or
announcements are posted.
The FCCAListServ will continue to unite and strengthen our organization through the continued sharing of informa-
tion, knowledge and ideas. The Deputy Clerk’s Council hopes that all members will get on board soon and start using this
valuable method of communication that is vital to the growth of our organization.
Spring 2007 • FCCA Journal
32 • www.fcca.ws
Every day we take measures to ensure that our valuable assets are protected. We lock our doors when we leave for
work, we have security systems installed on our cars and store our valuables in safe deposit boxes. Imagine taking your
assets and placing them in your front yard and then leaving for a few hours. This of course is a silly proposition, but
many of us are guilty of committing the technical equivalent when we bring our new computer home, hook it up and start
browsing the Internet. Just as there are criminals who would try and take valuables left in the front yard, there are Inter-
net criminals looking to steal your personal information. Internet subscribers connecting to the Internet through cable or
DSL services are especially vulnerable targets. This “always on” connection provides hackers with plenty of time to try
different methods of gaining entry.
Taking a few simple steps can go a long way in preventing these unwelcome guests. Here are just a few things you
can do to help keep your home computer safe:
Use an antivirus program. Retail stores and airport terminals utilize detection devices to alert security if certain
items pass through their doorway. Your antivirus software works in much the same manner. If malicious files try to sneak
through your “Internet doorway,” the antivirus software will stop it, alert you of the threat and take measures to intercept
the suspicious file. You will need to make sure this protection stays current by keeping the virus definition files (the in-
structions that tell the antivirus program what files to watch for) updated. Most antivirus programs can be configured to
take care of this step automatically. It is critical to keep the definitions current. The update you downloaded two weeks
ago may be unable to intercept the virus a criminal coded in their basement yesterday.
Watch email attachments. What we are really looking for here are attachments that could do harmful things to your
computer or allow someone to use your computer for wrongful purposes. Sending viruses by email attachment is one of
the most popular ways for outsiders to gain access to your information. A good rule is to avoid opening an attachment
unless you are expecting it. Even if you recognize the sender of the attachment, it is always better to leave such attach-
ments alone until you have a chance to confirm that the sender intentionally sent them. The sender may unknowingly be
a victim of a virus which is now using their address book to spread itself.
Be careful when downloading and installing programs from the Internet. You may have just found the perfect font
you need to complete that custom greeting card you started, but be careful before you download and install the “free”
software. While such programs seem harmless, they are often loaded with hidden programs to monitor and track your
computer activities. These “spyware” programs often plague Internet browsers with dreaded “pop-up” ads and hijack
computer resources, bringing even the quickest home computers to a grinding halt.
Choose passwords carefully. This is a simple rule but one we often ignore out of our desire to find a password that
we can easily remember. Avoid temptation and don’t use passwords based on birthdays, family member names or other
easily guessed codes. Letter and number combinations are recommended. Use some uppercase letters and punctuation
marks to improve the complexity. Avoid using simple words, as there are scripts that hackers use that will try every word
in a dictionary as your password in seconds.
There are additional ways to keep your home computer secure, but these steps will provide you with a good starting
point. For additional security, you may wish to activate your computer’s software firewall. A firewall will give you even
greater control of personal information entering and exiting your computer. Keeping your operating system current by
installing the latest security updates, or “patches” will also help keep hackers from taking advantage of operating system
vulnerabilities.
Home computing can be a valuable tool for learning and entertainment. With a little diligence, you can enjoy your
online experience safely.
By Mark McLain, Automation and Web Administrator
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
Home Computer Security
FCCA Journal • Spring 2007
www.fcca.ws • 33
Apanel of members from the Southern District of California will host a lecture/demonstration workshop at the Tempe
Conference on their automated calendaring program that pulls data on-the-fly from CM/ECF. This is one workshop that
you don’t want to miss. The folks from CASD have developed an automated Daily Calendar Report that interfaces with
CM/ECF. Their automated daily calendar is integrated with the Chambers Electronic Organizer (CEO) productivity pro-
gram that was developed by the Texas Southern District Court. CEO and the Daily Calendar Report are designed to work
in both the district and bankruptcy courts, and is currently being used by all of the district and magistrate judges in the
Southern District of California. All calendars are posted daily on the court’s Internet site at www.casd.uscourts.gov
CEO provides judges and chambers staff with functionality well beyond just an electronic calendar. CEO provides
interfaces with the following resources and features:
Schedules, personal preferences, docket sheets, graphical schedules, case documents, document/help, display case
and setting notes, order generator, and electronic signatures.
The user can get up to the minute docketed schedule information, docket sheets and PDF files, as well as a calendar
overview for a month at a time. You can create a custom order, automatically sign and date it with the judge’s signature
and send it to docketing. When using the CEO schedule and order creation application, there is no creation of paper;
everything is electronic.
ThepurposeoftheChambersElectronicOrganizer(CEO)istoassistCourtpersonnel(includingJudges,CaseManagers,
Secretaries, Courtroom Deputies and Law Clerks) in the management and maintenance of schedules and cases. Everyone
in the Clerk’s Office can benefit from CEO and the Daily Calendar Report - Interpreters, Jury, Finance, IT, Facilities, can all
view court activity relating to their sections. Even USMS, USAO, Federal Defenders and the court’s sister agencies can all
receive an automated calendar to schedule prisoners, schedule attorneys, organize their own activity.
Attendees of this workshop will be presented with a demonstration of CEO and the Daily Calendar Report as it is
appears “live” in California Southern District Court. Presenters for this program include four members from CASD: Sam
Hamrick, Clerk of Court; John Morrill, Chief Deputy of Operations; Michael Nagy, Director of Information Technology;
and Joseph Diaz, CM/ECF Administrator.
[EDITORS NOTE: We were asked to provide a description of the Electronic Organizer and Daily Calendar report for those who might
not be able to attend the seminar at this year’s annual conference in Tempe. We do hope you can attend and learn even more about
this information.]
Workshop: “CEO - the Chambers Electronic Organizer
and Daily Calendar Report”
By Michael Nagy, Director of Information Technology, 11
th
Circuit
What is FCCA?
By Cheryl Sweat
The Federal Court Clerks Association (FCCA) was formed in 1922, in Washington, D.C., by a group of 14 federal court clerks
who believed they could voice their view more effectively if they joined together in a formal organization. In 1981, a Clerks Council was
formed and a Deputy Clerks Council was formed in 1983. As of May 24, 2007, the FCCA boasts a membership of over 1,221 members.
The purpose of the Association is to promote the professionalism and integrity of the federal judiciary. Itis also the goal of the FCCA to in-
crease the proficiency of court employees, to support the independence of the judiciary, and to foster cooperation between courts and the community.
Three classes of membership are offered in the FCCA. These classes are the Unit Executive; Chief Deputy/Other Court Execu-
tive; and Deputy Clerk/Retired/Other. Several sectional areas make up these three classes of membership which also are mentioned
on the membership form. Members are any employees of the District Court, Circuit Court, Bankruptcy Court, Probation, Pretrial,
Court Reporters and other stakeholders in the federal court system. For more information, please contact Membership Chair, Pam
Twiford, at (202) 312-5522 or U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; 717 Madison Place, N.W., #401; Washington, D.C. 20439.
Spring 2007 • FCCA Journal
34 • www.fcca.ws
The Financial Accounting System for Tomorrow (FAS
4
T) applications from the ten FAS
4
T Proof of Concept Courts
have successfully been consolidated at the CGI-Federal Phoenix Data Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Committee on
Information Technology, Subcommittee on Service Delivery Alternatives, authorized a FAS
4
T proof of concept to begin in
July 2006 and resulted in ten courts’ FAS
4
T applications being consolidated in February 2007. FAS
4
T was one of several
national applications selected to assess the cost-effectiveness of service-delivery alternatives and their ability to provide
end-user computing support and application services for nationally deployed applications.
A cost benefit analysis on the FAS
4
T application evaluated several alternatives to deliver the service and evaluated
the following models: maintain the decentralized operations and administer application in each district; centralize as
government owned and operated service center; or centralized as contractor owned and operated facility. The centralized
as contractor owned facility was more cost beneficial to the judiciary. The cost benefit analysis evaluated these key areas:
determine if each FAS
4
T application’s transition to a particular alternative, including hardware, software, contractor and
network costs as well as the cost of transition, would result in short-or long-term cost savings; determine if and how one
or more consolidated service models can perform at a level acceptable to the court community, including application per-
formance, customer support, infrastructure performance metrics, response time, security, and information privacy. The
Subcommittee on Service Delivery Alternatives reviewed analysis on all alternatives and approved the contractor owned
and operated option.
The following ten district courts migrated their FAS
4
T application to the Phoenix Data Center (PDC): the District of
Kansas, District of Utah, District of Nebraska, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Kentucky, District of
Alaska, District of Maryland, District of Arizona, Southern District of Iowa, and Eastern District of Michigan.
These ten districts have been under going a post implementation assessment and the Subcommittee on Service De-
livery Alternatives was presented the results in early April 2007 and has recommended full FAS
4
T consolidation to the
Committee on Information Technology.
A national letter was sent to all District Clerks to solicit interest in participating in the FAS
4
T server consolidation,
should the Committee on Information Technology accept the recommendation of the Sub-Committee.
As of May 1, over 40 courts have expressed interest in migrating their FAS
4
T application to the Phoenix Data Center.
Pending approval, consolidation will be performed in waves of ten to twelve courts per month, beginning July 2007.
For more information regarding the FAS
4
T Server Consolidation project, feel free to contact Mr. Jerome Patterson
at 202-502-2272 or at Jerome_Patterson@ao.uscourts.gov or Mr. Randolph Singh at 202-502-2224 or at Randolph_Singh@
ao.uscourts.gov
Service Delivery Alternatives - FAS
4
T Server Consolidation Update
By Randolph Singh, Systems Accountant, AO
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. sat on the Supreme Court
until he was 91. Two years later, President Roosevelt
visited him and found him reading Plato. “Why?”
FDR asked.
“To improve my mind,” Holmes answered.
FCCA Journal • Spring 2007
www.fcca.ws • 35
Current Events on FCCA Home Page
Current Officers, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs Contact List (updated May 2007)
Current FCCA District Representatives Contact List
May 8 Teleconference Meeting Minutes
Membership Introduction Video created by Sheryl Loesch and Bill McCool
2008 FCCA Membership Form (by Pam Twiford)
MSU Information on Web
Tempe, Arizona Conference and Contact Information
By Cheryl Sweat, Sixth Circuit Representative
Spring 2007
On the Web
Dates to Remember
In the Future
June 24-28, 2007 - FCCA Conference in Tempe, AZ
2007/2008 Membership Drive June 1, 2007 - September 30, 2007
2007/2008 Membership Period runs from July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008
August 20, 2007 - Submission of FCCA articles (due to Pat McNutt, Editor) - Next publication
is after the Tempe, Arizona conference.
June 23-27, 2008 - FCCA Conference in Louisville, Kentucky
Circuit Representatives nominee biographies
NEW! Professional Development Column by Cheryl Sweat
1
NOTE:
All lists are current as of this printing of the Journal. Any changes that are not reflected will be
shown in the next issue and should be directed to the Circuit Representative AND Pam Twiford,
Membership Chair.
of Law, St. Paul, MN, June 1983. He holds a Minnesota State Bar License (since 1983). Mr. Maland is currently Clerk, U.S.
District Court, Texas Eastern, Tyler, TX 1992 - present; was Chief Deputy Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, ls, 11th Circuit,
Atlanta, GA from 1986-1992, and Deputy-in-Charge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, St. Paul, MN from 1980 - 1986
1 Recommendations
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