The incentive for increased cooperation is increased efficiency and reduced administrative costs. Although informal cooperation between State and Federal courts occurs sporadically and locally, the only formal mechanism for administrative cooperation has been State-Federal judicial councils. Areas in which State-Federal cooperation may be particularly useful involve jurisdiction, sharing attorneys, judicial administration, and criminal justice. A survey of groups most interested in cooperative efforts (i.e., Conference of Chief Justices, U.S. circuit executives, and State trial court administrators and court clerks) showed that the most common area of current State-Federal cooperation was in settling scheduling conflicts. Cooperation was also stimulated by the desire to share courthouse space, juror source lists, and information on attorney bar discipline. A proposed National State-Federal Judicial Council would be responsible for reducing areas of tension and increasing areas of cooperation between State and Federal court systems. 3 tables, 5 figures, and 31 notes