Case Assignment back-and-forth

In response to an April 27 letter from Senator Charles Schumer expressing concern about case-assignment practices in the Northern District of Texas (which, while well-intentioned, also notably misspells “Abilene” as “Abeline”), Chief Judge David Godbey wrote back yesterday to defend the District’s practices: “In addition to the fair administration of justice, we must also consider: the number and type of civil and criminal cases filed in a division, which varies significantly from division to division; the convenience of the jurors, witnesses, parties, and attorneys; the desire of communities to have local judges; the burden of travel on court personnel; and the need to provide judicial support for divisions without a resident district judge.”