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Goodyear judge recommends pausing specialty courts until caseload and partner interest grow
Summary
Presiding Judge Manuel Delgado told the council the city should suspend creation of a problem‑solving (specialty) court because current combined caseloads and agency commitments don’t justify the estimated staffing and expense; the court recommended continued monitoring and exploring referral options with Glendale.
Presiding Judge Manuel Delgado told the Goodyear City Council on Dec. 9 that the municipal court should delay creating a problem‑solving (specialty) court until the pool of eligible defendants and partner agency interest grow.
Delgado said the court and consultant estimated an active caseload of about 20 cases would be necessary to sustain a specialty docket and that the court’s referral processes and existing city services are currently meeting the needs of veterans, people experiencing homelessness and those with mental‑health issues. “It’s my opinion that we should suspend the implementation of the problem solving court, until the number of potential targeted groups increases to a level justifying its implementation,” Delgado said.
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