The Chief Judge of the Southern District of Illinois has issued a dire warning about the consequences of the federal government's ongoing shutdown on the justice system.
There are many obvious pain points related to the shutdown — including the vast numbers of unpaid federal workers. However, many of the shutdown's less visible consequences to the criminal justice system are also serious.
One of those consequences is the inability to pay expert witnesses for their testimony. These witnesses are often used in drug cases to challenge the state's claims of a drug's purity. This can drastically affect a sentence if the defendant is convicted.
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