The judicial system’s top court administrator said proposed spending cuts by the governor will result in hundreds of layoffs, courthouse closures, and other cuts in service.
The court system would see a “devastating number” of layoffs it it receives a $64 million reduction in funding Judge Patrick L. Carroll III, the court system’s chief administrator, told the Appropriations Committee.
He told the committee if 500 people were to be laid off in the Judicial Branch effective July 1, about one in seven of all employees, the savings would equal $25 million, less than half of the $64 million in proposed budget cuts. Carroll said 1,000 layoffs in the Judicial Branch, which he termed “an impossible number to achieve,” would yield $50 million in budget savings.
The Judicial Branch would also most likely close six of its 43 court locations because of staffing reductions. The exact locations have not yet been identified.
The court system would also eliminate up to $9.5 million in earmarked funding to various communities and agencies.
