Judicial branch reports strong performance, highlights modernization gains

State Court Administrator Sally Levely told the task force the judicial branch has prioritized operational efficiencies and technology adoption to manage high caseloads with comparatively small staff numbers.

Levely summarized the branch’s budget (about $153 million for the biennium) and noted that salaries and benefits represent roughly 69 percent of costs. She highlighted long‑standing investments in technology — electronic filing (mandated statewide), remote oral arguments, e‑filing for inmate appeals, and internal dashboards that provide real‑time monitoring of case status and time‑to‑disposition metrics.

Levely cited a 2024 study finding North Dakota judges have among the highest criminal case loads in the nation but that the state’s average felony disposition time (about 190 days) compares favorably. The branch uses weighted‑workload studies when deciding judicial vacancies and has consolidated several juvenile court and clerk positions where appropriate.

She acknowledged the complexity of fully transferring county clerk positions to state employment in the remaining counties because duties are often combined with recorder or treasurer responsibilities and because counties have invested in staffing and facilities.

Levely recommended continued investment in technology and process improvements and offered to engage with the task force on operational changes that could further reduce duplicative work.

Committee members raised access‑to‑court concerns (for example when individuals report they cannot get a timely hearing date); Levely encouraged callers to contact the county clerk's office as a first step and pledged to investigate recurring problems if the task force hears them repeatedly.