Bates heads courts’ support office

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., on Tuesday named U.S. District Judge John D. Bates as the new director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts — the support arm of the federal judiciary.   Judge Bates, who sits on the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. (and will retain that post), will succeed Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan.  A news release by the Supreme Court is here.

The head of the Administrative Office serves under the U.S. Judicial Conference, the policy-making arm of the federal courts.  The Chief Justice is the Conference’s presiding officer.