Judicial branch asks Section D for three judges in Billings amid rising caseloads

The judicial branch told the Section D subcommittee it is asking the Legislature to fund three new district judge positions and accompanying staff for the Thirteenth Judicial District in Billings, citing a sustained rise in filings and concentrated workload in a few large districts.

The request appears in the district court operations budget, which the branch presented to the committee. "The district court operations division has a base budget of 36,400,000.0 and they are requesting an increase of roughly 4,000,000 and they're also increasing their PB's by 13," Ms. Wagner said during the presentation. The package includes three new judge positions and related staff; timing of hires produces a 6 personal‑service budget (PB) impact in fiscal 2026 and 12 PBs in fiscal 2027, the branch explained.

Committee members were shown workload data that the branch said underpins the request. "There are 51 district court judges. They cover all 56 counties," Dave McAlpin, court administrator for the judicial branch, told the panel. McAlpin and other staff pointed to a workload study and a time‑weighted case index that the branch uses to estimate judicial need; the branch said caseloads rose about 20% between…