If You Gag the Lawyers, Do You Choke the Courts? Some Implications for Judges When Funding Restrictions Curb Advocacy by Lawyers on Behalf of the Poor

This Article examines restrictions on legal services lawyers that are particularly likely to cause interference with the core functions of the courts. It also examines the effect on state courts of federal restrictions on the funding that state and local governments provide for legal services. The Article also discusses the separation of powers and federalism implications of these incursions into court operations. It advocates for the application of the Supreme Court's reasoning in Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez.