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Judicial Council adopts formal methodology for handling court funding reductions and restorations
Summary
The council approved policies to implement funding reductions and restorations for trial courts, including a reversal of the workload formula for reductions, a 4% protective band around the statewide average, and prioritizing restorations to courts below the statewide average.
The Judicial Council voted to adopt formal methodologies to govern how future funding reductions and restorations will be implemented for trial courts. Judge Conklin told the council the recommendation "is to simply flip the current methodology that allows us when we have additions to our budget. That is to reverse the workload formula equity reduction allocation methodology," explaining that reductions would be applied with an equity lens and that a 4 percent band around the statewide funding average would protect courts near the average.
Presenters walked the council through hypothetical scenarios — including a $100 million reduction and partial restorations — and described three categories of adjustments: reductions in future fiscal years, reductions/restorations in the same fiscal year, and restorations in future fiscal years. Under restoration scenarios, the methodology would allocate the first 50% of future restorations to courts below the statewide average, with the remaining 50% allocated to all courts. The council approved the recommendations on a voice vote.
