Unpaid Jurors, Bare Evidence: The Cost of Courts Without Money (2)

Picture unpaid FBI agents taking cases lacking key evidence to unpaid prosecutors, who present them to grand juries working months without pay and try them against unpaid federal defenders worried about how to cover expenses out of pocket and keep up their law-school loan payments.

With all sides depending on witnesses, court reporters, and others who may or may not show up.

And that’s just with the cases that already exist, saying nothing of those that can’t get made in the first place.

This dystopian picture is creeping into focus with the federal court system due to run out of ...