On August 13, 2013, 87 federal district court Chief Judges, including Chief Judge Fitzwater, wrote to Vice President Biden expressing grave concern about the impact that flat funding of the last several years, followed by sequestration, is having on the Judiciary’s ability to perform its constitutional and statutory responsibilities. The Chief Judges detail the effects of the cuts, and indicate that “the cuts have created an unprecedented financial crisis that is adversely affecting all facets of court operations.” The letter also details how the funding cuts have put public safety at risk (for example, by drastically decreasing the number of probation and pretrial services officers who supervise criminal defendants) and jeopardized Defender Services.
The entire letter is well-worth a read.