Mandated federal budget reductions have not stopped judges and other judicial branch employees from scheduling and attending lavish and costly conferences in places like the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa, “where Southern charm meets modern luxury.”

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sent a letter to Judge John Bates, the administrative director of the U.S. court system, asking him to “significantly reduce” spending on conferences, which has not slowed down despite being the subject of several congressional hearings in the past year.