Southwest

Vol. 36, Number 4—April 2004

Judiciary In Depth

Southwest

The deluge of criminal cases, particularly in our Las Cruces Division, has taxed all currently available resources to the maximum. It is difficult to imagine the effect on private citizens, litigants, attorneys, and judges if we were forced to close the court for 10 days.
District Court,
District of New Mexico

For our court, the most significant impact is that while our caseload has increased 53 percent over the last three years, the number of employees has remained exactly the same. At this time, we are in a hiring freeze and no decisions have been made to fill any of the 27 vacant positions. . .
Bankruptcy Court,
District of Arizona

[We] plan to furlough 48 employees for 10 work days per employee in FY 2004. Losing the entire staff for two weeks will create a backlog . . . .
Bankruptcy Court,
Eastern District of Texas

Currently, I have 81 staff doing the work of 94, and the situation is only going to get worse as our workload continues to increase.
Probation/Pretrial Services Office,
Eastern District of Texas

We are the first line of defense in our communities and, in many instances, the last glimmer of hope that these individuals have at reaching the goal of a substance-free, productive life. Yet [we] will end fiscal year 2004 with 23 fewer staff on-board.
Probation Office,
Western District of Texas

Judiciary In Depth Main

East and Mid Atlantic

Southeast

Midwest and Great Lakes

West and Northwest