Six Federal Courthouses In Arkansas Eyed For Closure

The Associated Press reports that six federal courthouse locations in Arkansas could be eyed for possible closure in an effort to cut costs.

From Fox 16 News:

Six of the 60 court sites that could be closed are located in Arkansas. Texas and Georgia each have five courts on the list of possible closures. Officials are even considering shuttering the location where judges hold federal court in Alaska’s capital city, Juneau.

There are 674 federal courthouses and facilities around the country, according to David Sellers, a federal courts spokesman. The 60 sites being considered for closure do not have a resident judge. Instead, judges based in larger cities travel to these smaller locations as needed.

In the documents obtained by the AP, the court facilities that could close were ranked based on a variety of categories including cost, usage and location. Of the 10 facilities that seem most likely to be eyed for closure, two are in Arkansas, two are in South Carolina, and the rest are spread out between West Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, Georgia and Maryland. A facility in Beaufort, S.C., tops the list, followed by the federal court site in Parkersburg, W.V. and one in Harrison, Ark.

Batesville was also cited as a location for a possible shut-down. The other four sites in Arkansas were not identified in the AP article.

Judge J. Leon Holmes, the chief federal judge of the Eastern District of Arkansas, said he was concerned that the possible closures would affect a relatively poor region.

“Many of the persons in the poorer and more remote areas of our state cannot easily travel to Little Rock to attend bankruptcy court or any other proceeding,” Holmes wrote.

You can read more at this link.