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The Federal Judiciary: Reviews of Court Operations Should Adhere to Oversight Standards

GGD-96-114 Published: Jun 17, 1996. Publicly Released: Jun 17, 1996.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' (AOUSC) assessment of local court operations, focusing on whether AOUSC is promoting efficient administrative practices within the judiciary.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Administrative Office of the United States Courts To help ensure that AOUSC program assessments meet generally accepted auditing standards, the Director, AOUSC, should direct OPA to amend those standards to provide greater assurance against a potential perception of reviewer bias by knowledgeable third parties and greater assurance that all review team findings will be documented and reported to judiciary officials who can act on them.
Closed – Implemented
The recommendation was implemented; the agency agreed with the recommended action.
Administrative Office of the United States Courts To help ensure that AOUSC program assessments meet generally accepted auditing standards, the Director, AOUSC, should direct OPA to check each AOUSC division's compliance with both its plan for conducting program assessments and the standards and study guide for conducting those assessments.
Closed – Implemented
The agency agreed with the recommended action.

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Topics

Auditing and Financial Management
Audit oversightAuditing proceduresAuditing standardsCost controlCourts (law)DecentralizationFederal courtsJudicial reformProgram evaluationStandards evaluation