Senate Hearing Is Warned of Lasting Damage to Courts
By U.S. Courts, August 5, 2013
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In a congressional hearing on sequestration and the courts, a U.S. judge, federal defender and a private lawyer warned Senators that continued budget cuts would devastate the nation’s system of justice—threatening public safety, constitutional rights and economic well-being.
“Flat funding at sequestration levels would … irreparably damage the system that is a hallmark of our liberty around the world,” Judge Julia S. Gibbons told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts. “We look to Congress to recognize our critical needs, and our function in government, our value to the democracy, by providing the funding we need to do our work.”
Also testifying were Michael Nachmanoff, Federal Defender for the Eastern District of Virginia, and W. West Allen, Government Relations Committee chair for the Federal Bar Association.
