“The final enacted FY 2014 funding level that Congress provided the Judiciary gave us much needed relief and helped put the judiciary in a position to recover from the harsh impacts of sequestration, and prior to that, a flat budget from Congress,” Judge Julia Gibbons, chair of the Budget Committee, reported today to the Judicial Conference.

In the last six months, courts have begun to backfill some of the 3,400 staff lost between July 2011 and March 2014, and also restore funding for critical public safety programs, such as probation and pretrial services. During the last six months, Federal defender offices have backfilled about a quarter of the 400 staff lost in those offices between October 2012 and March 2014. The Judiciary has fared relatively well in terms of the proposed funding marks it has received from Congress for FY 2015. However, the Judiciary, like the rest of the federal government, may be operating under a continuing resolution for some portion of the upcoming fiscal year.

“While we believe Congress views the Judiciary as a funding priority, we must remain diligent in our combined outreach and cost containment efforts going forward,” Judge Gibbons said.

Read original article


Tags: