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Superior Court presses need for another judge, cites growing complexity and new tech investments
Summary
Presiding Judge Reed and court administrators presented rising case density and backlog trends, described recent courtroom technology and voice‑to‑text pilots, and said a recurring downtown 'division 7' judge and chamber would help clear rising felony and civil workloads.
Presiding Judge Reed and Superior Court staff told the Board that filings and case complexity have steadily risen since 2019 and that the court needs sustained capacity to keep up. Reed said the court’s criminal clearance rate fell to about 88% in FY25 and that the court is projecting increased jury demand this fiscal year — 21 jury trials were scheduled to conclude by June.
"We’re seeing an increase in aggravated assaults and other high‑density cases that are more complicated to resolve," Reed told the Board, urging that the county consider options for a downtown 'division 7' courtroom and staff to relieve pressured calendars.
Court innovations and AJS: Court administrators highlighted an ARPA‑funded courtroom technology upgrade that improved audio channels and digital evidence display; they also piloted a voice‑to‑text unofficial transcript workflow to speed transcript availability. The courts deploy Auxiliary Judicial Services (retired judges/commissioners) to run criminal settlement conferences and civil arbitrations, which the court said have very high settlement rates (92% civil arbitration success; ~96% criminal settlement success for cases sent to the service).
Budget ask context: Reed said establishing an additional downtown division would require recurring funding (estimated at roughly a half‑million dollars a year for judge, staff, chambers and security) and might still leave the court dependent on AJS for settlement conferences and related workload. Court administration recommended continued funding for AJS and modest recurring support for court security and IT/network fees to maintain technology benefits.
Board reaction: Supervisors thanked court leaders and asked for a full proposal on the cost/impact of division 7, including effects on partner agencies (public defender, county attorney, probation) and space/building needs. Court staff said they will prepare a detailed division‑7 plan and cost model for next year’s budget discussions.
