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Chief Justice tells Utah House budget cuts have cost court staff and services; urges access innovations and more defense resources
Summary
Utah's new chief justice told the House that recent budget reductions forced the courts to cut staff and curtail programs, highlighted online access tools and problem-solving courts, and urged lawmakers to support indigent defense and civic education.
At a message delivered to the Utah House of Representatives, the state's new chief justice warned that deep budget pressures have forced the court system to reduce staff and curtail services while pressing for measures to make courts more accessible.
"The single most significant challenge facing Utah's court system... lies in maintaining the trust and confidence of the public we serve," the chief justice said, arguing that courts must be "more accessible, more responsive, and more understandable to the people who use them" even as they preserve constitutional responsibilities.
The justice told lawmakers that personnel costs make up roughly 80% of the courts' budget and described recent workforce reductions. "In the last 18 months, from a workforce of 1,200 people, we've lost 94 positions and have had to curtail numerous programs and services,"…
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