Budget Cuts Hit Home

Looks like the budget crisis is having a pretty direct effect on our judiciary:

Federal court executives in South Florida and across the United States have begun to lay off and furlough workers as Congress looks for ways to prune a budget laden with national security expenses.

As many as 1,000 court jobs are on the line nationwide, according to a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C.

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the internal workings of the federal judiciary, but something tells me that significant staffing cuts will not be helpful considering the backlog on many dockets. In some state systems, the budget crisis is also manifesting itself through mandatory fees for public defenders. Well, maybe if we give some corporate welfare to energy companies, or create a huge new Medicare entitlement. Yeah that sounds good for the economy.