AS DEMAND FOR COURT INTERPRETERS CLIMBS, STATE BUDGET CONFLICTS GROW

In New Mexico courthouses, interpreters are hired to bridge the language divide in a diverse population. It is such a costly enterprise that for five of the past six fiscal years, the courts have run out of money to pay not just the interpreters, but also jurors and expert witnesses, whose compensation comes from the same fund. Many other states are also grappling with the rising cost of providing interpreters. In places like Ohio, Kansas and Illinois, the courts struggle within financial constraints to meet their obligations under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.