NEW FEDERAL COURTHOUSE MAY NEED UNIFIED SHOW OF SUPPORT

The recent news that President Clinton may not include any funding for federal building projects in his fiscal 1998 budget could affect the proposed new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau. The president's thinking appears to be a blanket moratorium on such projects and isn't targeted at any specific project.

To get funding restored on a case-by-case basis would not only take a good effort in Washington, it also would require some show of unanimity among supporters in this area.

Although the process of selection a site for the new courthouse has been under way for some time, the key issue is whether or not another courthouse is really needed. The current federal courthouse on Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau isn't big enough to accommodate all of the federal agencies here. If a new courthouse is built, the current building would become a federal building for those agencies. All the court-related operations would be in the new building.

Spending $30 million for a new federal courthouse -- that is the current estimate of the total cost -- requires a good deal of justification. But both lawyers and judges who are involved the day-to-day workings of the federal court system say there clearly is a need. The caseload is growing every year, thanks to dogged pursuit of violators of federal laws.

There is also a sort of catch-22 connected with the new courthouse. On the one hand, a new courthouse is based in part on the need for a full-time federal judge. Currently, judges from St. Louis are assigned to hear cases here. On the other hand, a the need for a full-time judge is based in part on whether or not there are adequate facilities to house court operations.

From all indications, there is need for both a full-time judge and a new courthouse. This is the case that would have to be pressed in order to obtain funding, if the president indeed leaves new courthouses out of the next federal budget plan in order to reduce overall spending.

Somehow, supporters of the new courthouse -- judges, lawyers, federal agencies -- need to show they are unified both on the need an on a site. Up till now there has been little cohesive direction regarding where the courthouse should be located. The General Services Administration is close to holding more site hearings. It would be a big step forward if the GSA folks came to town and heard that one site is better than all the rest. This would eliminate the appearance of a hurdle in choosing where a needed courthouse should go.