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Magistrate and state courts ask for judges, court reporters, staff and equipment amid heavy caseloads
Summary
Magistrate and state court leaders told commissioners they need three part-time magistrate judges, updated computer equipment, additional courtroom and clerk staffing, and two court reporters for Division B to manage 100,000 annual cases and growing dispossessory filings.
Magistrate Court Chief Judge and state court leaders told the Finance, Audit and Budget Committee on Feb. 13 that growing caseloads require immediate investments in judges, equipment, staff and facilities.
Magistrate Chief Judge said the court manages about 100,000 cases annually across 24/7 operations and asked commissioners for three part-time magistrate judges and updated computer equipment to support virtual and hybrid calendars. The judge highlighted dispossessory (eviction) caseloads in particular — about 34,000 dispossessory filings last year — and said aging hardware hampers remote hearings and court calendar reliability.
State Court judges requested six additional staff positions in Division B and four clerk’s-office positions shared across state court Divisions A and B to handle statutory workload changes, including stricter timelines for issuing bench warrants and bond-forfeiture processing. Judge Jacobs, representing state court, also asked for a salary-grade adjustment for the Clerk of Court role (noting the clerk now performs court-administration duties typically held at a higher grade) and requested two dedicated court reporter positions for Division B to ensure transcript availability for jury trials.
Both magistrate and state court representatives described technology needs: judges cited aging tablets and courtroom “all-in-one” PCs that occasionally freeze or apply long updates mid-calendar, causing scheduling delays. State court judges also noted an ongoing Division B facilities project and a fully funded Third Floor courtroom build-out at the main courthouse that has been delayed by broader courthouse projects; they urged county facilities coordination so funded courtroom projects can proceed.
Court leaders requested detailed staffing and equipment funding for committee consideration; commissioners and county officials said they will coordinate facilities planning, fee studies and procurement, and no appropriations were made at the Feb. 13 meeting.
