Los Angeles to Close 557 Courtrooms

Two trial courts will close most of their courtrooms and furlough staff Wednesday, offering California a glimpse of the once-a-month closures expected to affect courtrooms statewide later this summer. Leaders of the Los Angeles and Mendocino, Calif., superior courts decided they could no longer wait for a coordinated, statewide closure plan to emerge from the mire of legislative budget negotiations. Instead, they'll shutter hundreds of courtrooms, keeping a relative few open to handle emergency business.