Cost Cuts: Federal Courthouse in Florence Being Considered for Closing The federal courthouse in Florence is among the sixty courthouses in the nation to be considered for closure as part of economic cuts by the federal government. Many of the court sites are in rural areas, and critics of the closing these courthouses could make getting to court proceedings extremely difficult for the residents. The courthouse in Florence is used for bankruptcy cases and also for criminal and civil trials in the U.S. District Court. In addition to the potential closing of the Florence courthouse, courthouses in the Alabama cities of Gadsden, Selma, and Opelika are also among those being considered in the budget cuts. According to Karen Redmond, a spokesperson for the federal court system, no absolute decision has been made as to which courthouses would be officially closed. She stressed, “It is extremely early in this process. A lot of people will be involved in deciding where the closures will take place and there will be multiple reviews to ensure that any closures that take place are warranted.”The decisions as to which courthouses will be closed will be evaluated on the case loads of the courthouses, the expenses of operating them, and their locations. Federal court officials for the Northern District of Alabama are opposed to closing the Florence courthouse (which is currently undergoing renovations) at the Florence Post Office. Redmond said opposition from court officials in Alabama would play a major role in removing the Florence courthouse from the closure list. She said, “We take a look at all of our courthouses almost every year to see if any should be closed as a way to save money; this is nothing new. We’re still a long way from making any decisions. There’s no reason for people in Florence or any of the other communities where the courthouses being considered for closure are located to be alarmed at this time.” Nick Gajewski, a Florence attorney, said closing the courthouse would create a hardship on residents in the Shoals area who seek to file and process bankruptcy cases. If the Florence courthouse closes, the nearest alternate site for them for hearings would be the courthouse in Decatur. Gajewski interjected, “We now conduct bankruptcy hearings here by teleconference with a judge in Decatur. If the Florence courthouse closes, everyone involved would have to drive to Decatur for their hearings. People in our area will have a lot more driving.” http://www.northalabamadivorce.com/blog/florence-courthouse-closure.cfm