Federal judges will delay court construction projects around the country, writes the Associated Press. The move is part of cost-cutting that will save $225 million and avoid laying off up to 3,500 employees. The U.S. Judicial Conference shut down planned projects in 42 cities after 1,000 jobs were cut in the last year. The conference agreed to consider higher fees, to review employee salaries, and to make money saving technology changes.
Judges met privately with congressional leaders to seek help, but U.S. Appeals Court Judge Carolyn Dineen King said they received no promises because of the need to spend on domestic security and the war in Iraq. Last week, Chief Justice William Rehnquist asked Congress to protect courts from any freezes in funding because the judiciary “plays a vital role in our nation’s law enforcement and homeland security.”