Judge Deborah L. Thorne of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois asked the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) to survey members of the Bar to assess her performance. The judge's decision to ask the FJC to conduct this survey is entirely voluntary and is part of Judge Thorne's ongoing commitment to provide the highest level of public service possible. The FJC is the research and education organization for the federal courts and is located in Washington, D.C.

During the week of May 10th, the FJC will send an email to each attorney who has practiced before Judge Thorne during the past three years. The email will explain how to access and complete an online questionnaire.

The questionnaire contains both closed-ended questions (e.g., rating scales) and open-ended questions. Research staff at the FJC will compile and analyze together the responses from all lawyers and will provide Judge Thorne a report, including the comments that are received in response to the open-ended questions and statistical tables aggregating the results for the closed-ended questions. FJC staff will not provide anyone (including the judge) with the identity of the people who responded, if FJC staff become aware of that information. The results are exclusively for Judge Thorne's use in improving her performance; the FJC will not provide the results to anyone other than the judge and the results will not be used in the reappointment process.

If you do not receive an email from the FJC and want to participate, please contact Beth Wiggins of the FJC by phone at 202-215-2861 or by email at bwiggins@fjc.gov.

If you have questions about the survey or encounter any technical difficulties, please also contact Beth Wiggins. If you would prefer to complete a paper version of the questionnaire, she can provide you with a copy and instructions for returning it to the FJC.