Prof. Murray Interviewed by Bloomberg on the Impact of the Shutdown on Federal Criminal Cases

Prof. JaneAnne Murray was interviewed extensively by Bloomberg on the impact of the shutdown on the progress of criminal cases in federal courts. Likening the situation to “watching a frog boil,” Murray pointed out that “there’s only so much people will take until they’re done.” She foresaw “almost invisible slowdowns” among court personnel expected to work for free, “whether it’s through the absence of critical people who aren’t deemed essential, whether it’s through people taking sick leave because they are so frustrated, or people who are just actively slowing down because they are upset and despairing at their financial situation.” She added, “if you live paycheck-to-paycheck and you’re a federal defender making $70,000 a year, or a social worker or investigator at a federal defenders office making $40,000 a year, it’s really an imposition on these lawyers and employees.” The question becomes: “does that impact your commitment to your work?” The net effect would be that “clients are going to sit in detention centers longer.” In addition to procedural delays in pending criminal cases, Murray also highlighted a more ominous impact: people eligible for compassionate release would not have their applications considered expeditiously, thus denying them precious time on the outside. “Compassionate release, when it happens, has been in the last six months” of a person’s life, Murray said. “And often it’s happening weeks before the person dies.”