On the recordFebruary 15, 2011
Legal Services Corporation programs are forced to already reject over half the cases that come before them. This cut found in the CR only makes matters worse by requiring the firing of hundreds of Legal Services Corporation attorneys. Our justice system promises fairness to all litigants; but when people are unable to afford a lawyer, they are vulnerable to being ripped off in consumer transactions, vulnerable to unnecessary evictions, or unable to afford a divorce or resolve child custody disputes. We need to make sure that justice is more than just an idea. One Supreme Court Justice suggested that the kind of justice one gets should not depend on the amount of money they have. It would be tragic if Legal Services Corporation funding for legal aid lawyers was cut to help pay for those tax cuts to multimillionaires. The Legal Services Corporation needs to be fully funded. We should defeat this CR and come up with a continuing resolution that fully funds the Legal Services Corporation.
