A New Look for AFJ

The Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, a valuable resource for biographical information about federal judges, recently moved to a new online platform. In addition to the usual profiles on current federal judges, the new site now includes an interactive map, links to court websites, and – perhaps most notably – an archive of inactive judge profiles.

When it debuted in 1984, the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary was a looseleaf notebook of active federal judges, updated periodically with new pages as judges joined the bench or retired from it. Each judge received a basic biographical profile, along with selected notable opinions, and anonymous comments from a survey of attorneys who have appeared before the judge. The lawyers' evaluations assess such topics as legal ability, courtroom demeanor, leanings and impartiality, and provide valuable (sometimes scathing) insight for attorneys who may appear before the judge in the future.

The new platform on Wolters Kluwer provides current profiles of active judges as well as an archive preserving profiles of past federal judges. For example, current Duke Law Dean David F. Levi's profile from his time as a District Court judge in the Eastern District of California is available in the archive, but has been removed from the print looseleaf since he left the bench to join Duke Law School.

A historical print edition of AFJ, updated through 2012, is in the Goodson Law Library collection at KF8700 .A19 A4. Westlaw's AFJ database includes the text of the current print edition (i.e., active federal judges only).

For more resources on researching current or past judges, check out the library's recently-updated research guide to Directories of Courts and Judges or Ask a Librarian.