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Monday, February 21, 2005
Ind. Courts - Overworked Southern Indiana district seeks another federal judge
Bryan Corbin of the Evansville Courier& Press has a story today headed "Overworked Southern Indiana district seeks another federal judge." The report begins:
Federal judges who serve Evansville and Southwestern Indiana are the third-busiest in the nation.Their slate is so heavy that some are asking Congress to consider adding another judge to ease the court's work load.
Previous attempts have failed, and supporters for the idea acknowledge that federal courts are not high on the budget priority list.
The Southern District of Indiana, which includes two-thirds of the state, has had five federal judges since 1978.
"The judges here work long hours, the staff tends to work long hours; that's how we have been able to keep up all this time," said Laura Briggs, clerk of the U.S. District Court. "Like any other job, it's exhausting."
The Southern District dispenses federal justice from courthouses in Evansville, Terre Haute, New Albany and Indianapolis. Of the five judges, only Judge Richard L. Young is primarily based out of Evansville's federal courtroom. Yet, a quarter of the district's felony defendants last year were charged through the court in Evansville.
The Southern District's five judges carry the third-heaviest case load of any of the 94 federal district courts. Though the national average is 501 "weighted" cases per judge, the Southern District's average is 729 per judge. (Cases are assigned a "weight" based on degree of difficulty.)
Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 21, 2005 11:43 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts