“You can’t have a court hearing without having your client understand it correctly,” said Protima Pandey, a staff attorney with Bay Area Legal Aid.
I wholeheartedly agree.
But the answer for Californians it turns out is to provide “free” interpretation services for litigants in all cases both criminal and civil by 2017.
Despite being gratis, it will actually cost California taxpayers more than the $92 million currently appropriated for administering its court interpreter program.
Naturally, as noted in the Associated Press article about this policy, California is extending services under pressure from that great purveyor of justice during the Obama era, the DOJ.
Merits and particulars of the policy aside, it is important to note that a common language is essential to a cohesive nation.
