Federal Judiciary Administrative Improvements Act of 2010
Public Law 111-174 · S. 1782 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on May 27, 2010 · Law
Sponsor: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Patrick Leahy, Sen. Jeff Sessions
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Federal Judiciary Administrative Improvements Act of 2010 - Amends the federal judicial code to: (1) remove the power of certain active or retired federal judges to appoint U.S. magistrate judges; and (2) revise the statutory description of the District of North Dakota to eliminate the current four divisions, each of which holds court exclusively for specified counties.
Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require court use of separate judgment and statement of reasons forms in the imposition of a criminal sentence; (2) require appropriate adaptation of pretrial services functions for juveniles; (3) modify the reporting schedule for criminal wiretap orders; and (4) increase the compensation thresholds triggering administrative review of compensation for non-counsel investigative, expert, or other services necessary for adequate representation of a person financially unable to obtain them.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 3632Related bill
Federal Judiciary Administrative Improvements Act of 2009
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- May 27, 2010Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-174.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 21, 2010FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 18, 2010FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1782.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Johnson (GA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Mar 17, 2010FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Mar 16, 2010FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 14, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10437)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 3540SenateSen. Sheldon WhitehouseD-RI· offered Mar 16, 2010Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Mar 16, 2010: Amendment SA 3540 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.