Is Our Federal Judiciary Being Dismantled by Congress?

Here is a video with testimony before the U.S. Senate of the Hon. Julia S. Gibbons, Federal Defender Michael Nachmanoff, and West Allen, Chair of the Government Relations Committee of the Federal Bar Association.  I serve with West Allen on the FBA's Government Relations Committee and have been part of the FBA's efforts to educate Congress on the impacts of sequestration on the administration of justice.   As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court case that interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment to oblige states to provide counsel to the indigent, making the right to counsel a reality for every American, Congress has, in implementing sequestration, defunded this constitutionally-obligated protection.  The reality is that if criminal trials get gummed up because the accused have no counsel, federal judges are not available to hear civil cases that impact justice for private individuals and corporations.  If justice is not prompt and available from U.S. courts, justice has been denied.  Leaving commercial and bankruptcy disputes in limbo negatively impacts American competitiveness by crippling business and investment.   If these issues are important to you, please consider joining the Federal Bar Association, the premier bar association for the federal practitioner.  Any American who cares about the administration of justice ought to watch this video.




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 Copyright law, fine art and navigating the courts. All practice, no theory.Copyright Litigation Handbook (Thomson Reuters Westlaw 2012-2013) by Raymond J. Dowd