Birmingham courts may shut down amid cuts

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) 
Jefferson County's top judge says he may be forced to shut down the court system if security staffers lose their jobs amid budget cuts.
The Birmingham News reports  that the cash-strapped Jefferson County Commission is set to vote this month on whether to retain workers at courthouse security stations.
Presiding Judge Scott Vowell says he would be forced to close the courthouse buildings if the workers lose their jobs. He says "we cannot hold court without security in those buildings."
The courthouse shutdown almost happened in June, when county budget cuts threatened to leave all but one court building without security at the entrance.
But court officials secured stopgap funding to keep them open through the end of September.