Terre Haute federal courthouse escapes closure

The Judicial Conference of the United States announced Tuesday that it will close six non-resident federal courthouses to save money. The facility in Terre Haute, which was placed on a list for consideration of closure earlier this year, will remain open.

The Terre Haute courthouse is no stranger to threats of closure.  Judicial officials looked at 60 federal courthouses around the country which, like the Terre Haute courthouse, do not have a full-time resident judge.

The six facilities closing are in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. The closures should save the judiciary around $1 million a year in rent, according to a news release from the United States Courts.

The Terre Haute facility – which opened in 2009 – was number 19 on the list.

In addition to announcing the court closures, the U.S. Judicial Conference has asked each District Court unit – clerk’s office, probation office, pretrial services office and bankruptcy court – to work together to adopt a shared administrative services plan to save money while preserving effective court operations and services.

The conference also decided to eliminate funding to print and mail court of appeals slip opinions – court opinions used prior to formal publication in case reporters. This is projected to save more than $1 million in printing and mailing costs. Courts will now provide electronic copies of slip opinions.