Amount of Traveling in Circuit Court Forum

[EastCoastBoat]

How often do circuit court judges travel/stay out of town? I understand judges and clerks could be shacked up in a hotel for a week or two, but I'm wondering if that schedule stays consistent for several weeks in a row. Especially in southern states such as Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Would you say a clerk wouldn't be home for over 25 weeks out of 52 weeks of the year? Or out of town for maybe one week per month?

[mjb447]

The amount of traveling for oral argument varies a lot by court. That said, it looks like the Fourth Circuit (NC/SC) sits in scheduled sessions about six times per year. See https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/oral-argum ... t-calendar. There are enough panels calendared during argument sessions that I'd assume that almost all circuit judges are there during that time (maybe a few days before or after) and the rest of the time non-local judges are in their home chambers. Less sure about the Eleventh Circuit (GA).

[Anonymous User]

How often do circuit court judges travel/stay out of town? I understand judges and clerks could be shacked up in a hotel for a week or two, but I'm wondering if that schedule stays consistent for several weeks in a row. Especially in southern states such as Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Would you say a clerk wouldn't be home for over 25 weeks out of 52 weeks of the year? Or out of town for maybe one week per month?

This is really going to depend on where your judge has his chambers and where the court convenes to hear arguments. If your judge has chambers where the circuit convenes, you won't travel at all, unless your judge is senior and sits by designation on other circuits. In the 10th Circuit, term of court is one week about every two months, with no term during the summer. So only 5 weeks of travel over a year term. I think the 4th Circuit is similar, but I don't know about the 11th. Also, not all judges take all of their clerks every term.

[Anonymous User]

How often do circuit court judges travel/stay out of town? I understand judges and clerks could be shacked up in a hotel for a week or two, but I'm wondering if that schedule stays consistent for several weeks in a row. Especially in southern states such as Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Would you say a clerk wouldn't be home for over 25 weeks out of 52 weeks of the year? Or out of town for maybe one week per month?

This is really going to depend on where your judge has his chambers and where the court convenes to hear arguments. If your judge has chambers where the circuit convenes, you won't travel at all, unless your judge is senior and sits by designation on other circuits. In the 10th Circuit, term of court is one week about every two months, with no term during the summer. So only 5 weeks of travel over a year term. I think the 4th Circuit is similar, but I don't know about the 11th. Also, not all judges take all of their clerks every term.

The 11th is similar in that it varies based on where your judge is located. If in Atlanta or Miami, then s/he will probably travel once or twice a year. If in Macon, then he will probably travel about 6 times a year. But it's only four days of travel per sitting (go on Monday afternoon, return on Friday afternoon), and if a judge has the full complement of clerks, they aren't even allowed to bring them all along. Basically, a clerk on the 11th will likely have some travel but won't get close to even one week a month.

[ughbugchugplug]

Are travel costs reimbursed?

[mjb447]

Yeah. See some responses at http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 0#p9616048

[Anonymous User]

Are travel costs reimbursed?

The government arranges and pays for the flight, so no need to reimburse that.
You get a hotel allowance and the government will reimburse you up to that amount (it will be the "government rate" for any hotel that offers it).
And you get a per diem based on the city and time of year. The per diem amount is available online somewhere. It's generous (you don't have to eat at McDonald's) but not overly so (I doubt you could afford three meals at the hotel with it unless you were being really careful.)

Also, at least my circuit had us all apply for a government credit card that we could put all these expenses on until we got reimbursed. (But you can, as I did, also choose to pay with your own cards.)

[ughbugchugplug]

Very helpful, thank you both.