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Chief Justice delivers state-of-the-judiciary address, urges treatment resources and judicial investments
Summary
Chief Justice delivered an annual state-of-the-judiciary address marking 30 years since the revised judicial article, praised merit-based selection and statewide court modernization, urged funding for treatment resources tied to justice-reinvestment and asked the Legislature to create two judgeships and consider a compensation increase for judges.
The Chief Justice addressed the Senate in a Committee of the Whole to mark the 30th anniversary of the revised judicial article and to outline several priorities for the judiciary.
He praised the reforms enacted in 1984 (effective July 1, 1985) that created merit-based selection and a unified governance model—including a judicial council chaired by the Chief Justice and the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission—and credited those changes with producing a highly qualified and consistent judiciary. He described how that governance allowed the courts to modernize technology (adoption of e-filing and a statewide case management system) and respond to the 2008 financial crisis while reducing workforce size and improving efficiency.
The Chief Justice urged lawmakers to support three items this session: (1) resources recommended by the Justice Reinvestment Initiative to expand treatment alternatives that reduce recidivism (including drug, alcohol and mental-health treatment resources and veterans treatment courts already operating), (2) legislation to create two judgeships in districts with overloaded dockets, and (3) consideration of the Judicial Compensation Commission's recommended salary increases to sustain and broaden the applicant pool for judgeships. He emphasized the balance between judicial independence and accountability that the judicial article sought to achieve and thanked the Legislature for past reforms while urging continued, forward-looking steps to preserve a fair and effective judicial system.
Senators resolved the Chief Justice’s remarks to the Senate journal following his address.
