The Nation : Justice Dept. Halts Probes

The Justice Department, facing a budget shortfall, has ordered its 93 U.S. attorneys to begin no new investigations that involve travel or legal expenses for the next two months. The department, in an internal memo, also told its chief prosecutors to stop using computer research services, limit travel for ongoing investigations, seek to delay court cases, buy no new equipment and reduce orders for court and grand jury transcripts until the 1986 fiscal year ends Sept. 30. While the cost-cutting measures are intended to be temporary, a spokesman said, they could grow worse if a fiscal 1987 budget freeze approved by the House last week takes effect in October.