Destructive Court Budget Cuts

Chief U.S. District Judge Jerome Simandle advised the New Jersey State Bar Association, at its annual meeting on May 18th, that the federal court faces a very difficult fiscal situation. In January 2013, across-the-board cuts under the Budget Control Act of 2011 “will have a devastating impact on the federal courts in New Jersey and elsewhere.” It is called a “sequestration,” an impoundment of funds that would create a loss over the country of 4,400 federal court employees.

Simandle cited the substantial increase in New Jersey’s district court of almost 7,900 civil cases for the year. Criminal cases have also increased. Each of the judges carries a weighted average of 544 cases. While there have been actions that have greatly assisted the court, such as pro bono representation by the bar, they will not be sufficient should the draconian cuts take place. The civilian force is already understaffed in the Clerk’s Office, the Probation Office, and the Pretrial Services Office. As Simandle said, “These losses, if they happen, will come on top of the court’s own historical sacrifices and efficiencies which long before the current economic downturn produce savings in staffing for chambers, probation and pretrial in the clerks’ offices here and across the country.”