Economic storm reaches judicial systems.

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-courts22-2008dec22,0,387609.story

Even jury hiring is frozen

To cut costs, New Hampshire courts won't hold criminal or civil jury trials for a month. At least 19 other states have slashed court budgets and other state services.

By Bob Drogin
December 22, 2008

The economic storm has come to this: Justice is being delayed or disrupted in state courtrooms across the country.


Full coverage: Financial crisisFinancially strapped New Hampshire has become a poster child for the problem. Among other cost-cutting measures, state courts will halt for a month all civil and criminal jury trials early next year to save $73,000 in jurors' per diems. Officials warn they may add another four-week suspension.

"It brings our system almost to a screeching halt," said county prosecutor James M. Reams. His aides are scrambling to reschedule 77 criminal trials that were on the February docket.

[BR_Parkway]

1. If the drug offenders would all request jury trials, they could probably

wreak enough havoc that the cops would be told to look the other way for a while

[lib2DaBone]

2. I thought the same thing when I read the headline.....

..loading up our judicial system and jails for the simple possession of a marijuana cigarette.. just doesn't make sense.

Wouldn't the government be smarter to tax marijuana and turn it into a profit center?