Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama have asked Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales to help free up $12 million to pay for home-security systems and other safety measures for federal judges.
Congress approved the money in May after U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow’s husband and mother were slain by a disgruntled litigant in Chicago.
But the Tribune reported Friday that the funding has not been released pending selection of a contractor to install the systems and the resolution of a dispute between judges and the U.S. Marshals Service over who will pay monthly service fees.
“It is shocking that seven months later we are learning that the money has not been used to meet the safety needs of our nation’s judges,” the Democratic senators said in a letter to Gonzales. “Many judges are being forced to personally foot the bill for their security.”
The letter also asked Gonzales to help bolster the Marshals Service’s capability to collect and evaluate threats to the federal judiciary.
A Justice Department spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.
