Walter Braud of the 14th Judicial Circuit, Rock Island County [Illinois], addressed officials about a proposed budget that would entail a possible 116 layoffs, according to a May 12 article in the Quad-City Times [Iowa]. Calling the situation a near tragedy, Braud later told reporters: “I’m required by law to have a good and proper courthouse. In each courtroom, there has to be a court reporter to record the proceedings, a clerk to maintain the court records, and there have to be armed deputies.”
