Chief Justice Natalie Hudson warns judicial funding in conference agreement risks access to justice

Summary

At a May 16 Public Safety and Judiciary Conference Committee hearing, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson testified that the conference agreement’s funding leaves judicial salaries frozen, undercuts recruitment and retention, and risks timely access to justice despite modest investments included in the package.

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson told the Public Safety and Judiciary Conference Committee on May 16 that the conference agreement includes modest funding but does not address what she called the judiciary’s most urgent need: staffing and pay to maintain timely access to justice.

"Without a stable, well supported workforce, our ability to provide timely access to justice will be at serious risk," Chief Justice Natalie Hudson said, speaking on behalf of "the 322 judges and approximately 2,800 staff who serve in the Minnesota judicial branch." She said the agreement provides some one-time dollars and limited pay increases but leaves judicial salaries frozen for two years.

Hudson said the judiciary was not consulted when the branch’s budget target was set and urged fuller consultation going forward. "As a coequal branch of government, we must be meaningfully included in decisions of this magnitude," she…

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson warns judicial funding in conference agreement risks access to justice

Summary

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