Federal courts officials have appealed to Congress for emergency funding, saying the judiciary lacks the budget flexibility to absorb the large mandatory spending cuts that have forced furloughs in the nation’s federal public defender and court offices.
In a letter sent on May 14 to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Judicial Conference said the courts need an emergency appropriation of $73 million $41 million for federal public defenders and $32 million for court operations. The money would save 550 jobs in public defender and clerk offices, and prevent 24,000 furlough days for 5,000 employees, the letter says.
