Federal judicial vacancies reaching crisis point - The Denver Post
Federal judicial vacancies reaching crisis point - The Denver Post WASHINGTON — Federal judges have been retiring at a rate of one per week this year, driving up vacancies that have nearly doubled since President Barack Obama took office. The departures are increasing workloads dramatically and delaying trials in some of the nation's federal courts. The crisis is most acute along the Southwestern border, where immigration and drug cases have overwhelmed court officials. Arizona recently declared a judicial emergency, extending the deadline to put defendants on trial. The three judges in Tucson, the site of last month's shooting rampage, are handling about 1,200 criminal cases apiece. "It's a dire situation," said Roslyn Silver, the state's chief judge. In central Illinois, three of the four judgeships remain vacant after two of Obama's nominees did not get a vote on the Senate floor. Chief Judge Michael McCuskey said he is commuting 90 miles between Urbana and Springfield and relying on two 81-year-old "senior" judges to fill the gap. "I had a heart attack six years ago, and my cardiologist told me recently, 'You need to reduce your stress,' " he said. "I told him only the U.S. Senate can reduce my stress."
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