Judge Kent Jordan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit listens to testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee judicial nominations hearing last July. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
Federal appellate judge Kent Jordan on Tuesday spoke against a proposal to create a more uniform bar admissions process for U.S. district courts nationwide, saying local control of attorneys permitted to appear is important.
The U.S. judiciary’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules is weighing rule changes to simplify the admissions process for attorneys seeking to practice in federal trial courts. Many of the 94 districts currently have local rules mandating that lawyers obtain in-state bar admission, or to apply pro hac vice on a case-by-case basis subject to certain restrictions and fees.
