Safe and beautiful ‘is not free': DC Courts under pressure with flat funding since 2022

The useful part

What you don't see is how busy they are behind the scenes, trying to stretch a tight budget further. "There's not enough people to wait on you," a woman with a child custody case said. "The lines are long and the waits for the trials are long." DC Courts Executive Officer Herb Rouson Jr.

How it works

• For years, the News4 I-Team has followed the impact of federal decisions on D.C.
• Well, we're at a point to where we will not be able to effectively administer justice in the way that the public expects," he said.
• Rouson manages the courts' budget of over $292 million, which is set by Congress.
• In May 2024, the now-former chief judge told the I-Team nearly a quarter of D.C.
• "The fact of the matter is, it's not sustainable," said Judge Anita Josey-Herring, who has since retired.

What to take from it

Court officials said they don't have the cash to hire all the new staff they need. Courts have what they need to pay all of the needed new staffers and support personnel. In a statement since that interview, Rouson told News4 the courts will shuffle existing personnel to make sure courtrooms are staffed.

Details worth keeping

People with business at the courthouse described what they faced inside. It's not enough to keep up with all the changes happening in D.C. This year, the Senate acted to fill almost every judicial vacancy in D.C.