U.S. District Court judges by a sizable majority oppose mandatory sanctions for lawyers who file groundless suits, a recent survey shows. The Federal Judicial Center surveyed 400 judges via e-mail in December 2004 and January 2005. The survey, which garnered 278 responses, found that 87 percent preferred the current Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. That rule gives judges the discretion to impose sanctions on attorneys who file pleadings that are frivolous, presented for an improper purpose or lack evidentiary support. The survey, consisting of 13 questions dealing with Rule 11, comes in the wake of the...
