N.J. Assembly reviews Christie cuts to legal aid
A New Jersey Assembly Committee meets Wednesday to examine the impact of Gov. Chris Christie’s reduction in funding for legal services for low-income residents.
Christie cut $10 million from Legal Services of New Jersey, which assists those having problems in civil cases.
Assembly Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter Barnes said those cuts will have a devastating impact on people hard hit by the recession.
“They’re the ones who’ve been victimized with foreclosures, who are being evicted from their lease holds, who need attorneys to represent them in domestic violence cases,” said Barnes. “People who already are down on their luck because of loss of jobs, loss of income, and loss of net worth.”
Barnes said having to represent themselves in court often puts those people at a disadvantage, especially when dealing with technical legal issues.
He said Tuesday he hopes some of the funding for Legal Services can be restored.
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