Federal court employees in Connecticut could be furloughed and the hearing of cases could be delayed, as the court system deals with recently imposed federal budget cuts. And at least one prominent defense lawyer wonders whether the court system might soon have trouble complying with the federal Speedy Trial Act.
Officials with the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Defender Office and other federal court agencies in the state said they were preparing to manage a forced reduction in hours for their staffs. The cuts were made unavoidable when Congress failed to reach an agreement on balanced deficit reduction. As a result of the so-called sequester, about $57 million in federal resources will be cut from government agencies throughout the state for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends September 30.
