Like their federal court colleagues, District of Columbia court officials approached the end of 2012 with a nervous eye on Capitol Hill. If lawmakers fail to reach a budget deal by the end of the year, sequestration mandated spending cuts will axe 8.2 percent of dollars going to the federally funded local courts.
In the event the federal government falls over the so-called “fiscal cliff,” the D.C. courts would lose about $19 million, according to a September report by the Office of Management and Budget.