Resolution VI

In Support of Continued Funding for the Legal Services Corporation Commensurate with its Vital Role in the Administration of Justice 

WHEREAS, equal justice is fundamental to the American system of government under law; and

WHEREAS, the inability to afford legal counsel effectively denies access to justice to individuals in need of legal representation; and

WHEREAS, representation of individuals who cannot afford counsel is essential to the efficient operation of state court systems; and

WHEREAS, Congress created the Legal Services Corporation in 1974 both to provide legal assistance to those unable to afford a lawyer and to serve the ends of justice; and

WHEREAS, since 1995 the restructured Legal Services Corporation has made counsel available for millions of individuals otherwise unable to access our civil justice system for the protection of their rights and the resolution of their disputes; and

WHEREAS, the continued operation of the Legal Services Corporation is essential to the guarantee of equal justice, and to the efficient operation of the courts;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators strongly supports continued funding for the Legal Services Corporation at levels sufficient to enable it to continue to fulfill its vital role in ensuring access to the civil justice system.

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