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Justice impaired by federal shutdown, say US lawyers

The American Bar Association (ABA) has welcomed the agreement between congress and the president to reopen the US federal government.

Immigration courts, already experiencing a backlog of more than 800,000 cases, were forced to cancel tens of thousands of hearings during the shutdown, the ABA says.

“The uncertainty and anxiety caused by the shutdown impaired our entire justice system, from law enforcement to public defenders to prosecutors and federal courts,” an ABA statement said.

It called on elected leaders to come to a resolution of their differences over the next three weeks to avoid another shutdown.

Due process

“Due process and a fair justice system depend on it,” the ABA said.

The body represents more than 400,000 USA lawyers, and is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organisations in the world.