History
By Hon. Robert Jacobvitz, District of New Mexico
Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act of 1984
The primary controversy surrounding how to fix the constitutional infirmity of the 1978 Act was whether to make bankruptcy judges Article III judges. During the ensuing battles fought in Congress,…
BAFJA and the AO Director’s Decision Not to Pay Bankruptcy Judges
The 1978 Act provides that the terms of bankruptcy judges were to expire on March 31, 1984 (the new system for appointing bankruptcy judges was to go into effect on…
Consolidation of Bankruptcy and District Court Clerks’ Offices
Bankruptcy courts also faced Article III incursions into their statutory right to clerks’ offices controlled by bankruptcy judges. Shortly after AO Director Foley rescinded his July 11, 1984 memorandum announcing…
Bankruptcy Judge Salary Legislation
Other battles on the horizon for the NCBJ were increasing bankruptcy judges’ salaries, tying the salaries statutorily to those of Article III judges, and improving retirement benefits. David W. Houston…
Bankruptcy Judge Retirement Benefits Legislation
On August 7, 1987, Alabama Senator Howell Heflin introduced a bill that would improve the retirement package for bankruptcy judges. The AO opposed the retirement benefit as being too generous….
The NCBJ Today
The NCBJ has evolved considerably in the 90 years since formation of NARB. Over 312 of the nation’s 350 active bankruptcy judges (about 82 percent) are members of the NCBJ,…