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Judicial Council urges restoration after trial-court cuts, warns of staff, technology impacts
Summary
Presenters from the Judicial Council told a Senate budget subcommittee that partial restoration in the governor’s budget will avert layoffs and restore public counter and phone hours, but gaps remain for technology upgrades, recruitment and long‑term funding.
The Judicial Council told the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on Friday that the governor’s January budget includes partial restorations that have helped courts avoid layoffs and reopen public counter hours but that significant, ongoing shortfalls and rising costs still threaten court operations.
The Council’s administrative director, Michelle Shelley, told the panel the governor’s proposal and Department of Finance actions ‘‘demonstrate committed support of the branch’’ and said the Judicial Council appreciates the $42,000,000 restoration and $40,000,000 for increased operational costs proposed for trial courts. ‘‘Those things . . . allow the courts to continue to do the day‑to‑day operations that they need,’’ Shelley said.
Why it matters: Trial courts handle civil and criminal dockets, custody and family matters, and other time‑sensitive proceedings. Witnesses said cuts already forced courts to plan furloughs and shrink public hours; restoring funds allowed many courts to avoid those…
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