USCourts Letter to Barbara Moses

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE

UNITED STATES COURTS

HONORABLE JOHN D. BATES

Director WASHINGTON, D.C. 20544

February 25, 2014

Ms. Barbara Moses

President

New York County Lawyers’ Association

14 Vesey Street

New York, NY 10007

Dear Ms. Moses:

Thank you for your letter and attached report, “Courts in Crisis,” that the New York County Lawyers’ Association produced following the December 2, 2013, public hearing by its Task Force on Judicial Budget Cuts. I appreciate your sharing this document with me.

Several years of flat funding followed by the $350 million in fiscal year 2013 sequestration cuts mandated under the Budget Control Act of 2011 have had a devastating impact on court operations nationwide. Forums and testimony detailing the effects of these budget cuts on the administration of justice, like the two-day hearing you held in New York last month, have been helpful in our efforts to receive additional funding in fiscal year 2014. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 provided the Judiciary with an overall increase of 5.1 percent in discretionary appropriations. This level of funding essentially restores the Judiciary to its pre­ sequestration levels and will allow us to address some of the critical staff reductions we have had to make during the last several years.

Fiscal year 2015 will be another challenging year in obtaining sufficient funding to support federal court operations because the overall increase in discretionary spending is essentially flat. Please be assured that your advocacy with regard to the real-world effect of funding cuts in the Judiciary is extremely helpful in our own efforts to receive adequate funding from the Congress.

Again, thank you for your support.

A TRADITION OF SERVICE TO THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY