In his annual report on the state of the federal judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. said the third branch of government is doing more than its share to reduce expenditures at a time of fiscal crisis. He also called Monday on both the executive and legislative branches to “act diligently in nominating and confirming highly qualified candidates” to fill long-lingering judicial vacancies in the lower courts.
As he boasted about the judiciary’s thriftiness, Roberts took note of the fiscal cliff negotiations and the “longer term problem of a truly extravagant and burgeoning national debt. No one seriously doubts that the country’s fiscal ledger has gone awry.” Roberts added that “the public properly looks to its elected officials to craft a solution. We in the judiciary stand outside the political arena, but we can continue to do our part to address the financial challenges within our sphere.”
