The Multnomah County Courthouse on SW 4th will be closed Fridays from March 13th until further notice, due to budget cuts. Presiding Judge Jean Maurer emailed courthouse staff this morning. Judges will still show up on Fridays “to do the work of the court,” Maurer wrote, albeit without staff present.
Judge Maurer is yet to return a call for comment.
One day down, four to go. HAMSTERDAM!
More on this:
To All members of the Mid-Columbia Bar Association:
Yesterday afternoon there was a telephone conference regarding the Oregon Judicial Department’s (OJD) budget reduction plan for the balance of this biennium. At that time, the State Court Administrator, Kingsley Click, and Chief Justice Paul Demuniz advised the Presiding Judges and Trial Court Administrators that, effective March 1, all non-judicial employees will be furloughed for 16 days. That means all fulltime, non-judicial employees, will have their work hours reduced to 32 hours per week.
This morning, Kingsley advised us that the Chief Justice has decided that the only way to implement the furloughs is to close all state court facilities on Friday, starting March 13. At this time, we intend to maintain our regular hours of operation Monday through Thursday.
The use of the term “at this time” is important. The budget situation, its effect on the courts, as well as many other state services, and the reaction to the situation has and will continue to be very fluid. There is, for example, the prospect that the May revenue forecast may result in another change of plans.
This period of court-closure is unlike that we experienced in 2003 in a couple of important respects. In 2003, court employee salaries were temporarily cut 10 percent, compared to 20 percent today. More importantly, in 2003, the period of court-closure was defined: March 1 through June 30. That is not the case now.
The current budget shortfall is about 20 percent. The estimated budget shortfall for the 2009-11 biennium is also about 20 percent. How that shortfall may impact state court operations in the future remains to be seen.
There will be a Presiding Judge and Trial Court Administrator meeting in Salem on March 5. The judges of this district will meet on March 6. I hope to be able to provide you more information the week of March 9.
In the meantime, your patience as we steer through this financial storm, will be most appreciated.
I hope that this e-mail list is complete. Please feel free to share this message with your colleagues.
Sincerely,
Judge Paul Crowley
And comments from the Chief Justice, Paul De Muniz:
BUDGET CUTS WILL CLOSE STATE COURTS ON FRIDAYS
Oregon Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz today announced that all state courts will be closed on Fridays beginning on Friday, March 13, 2009. The closures will remain in effect at least through June 30, 2009. Future closures depend on budget decisions the legislature will make later in its session.
“These budget reductions are a huge blow to Oregon’s courts and the people we serve and will affect public safety, the welfare of children, and everyone who needs their day in court,” Chief Justice De Muniz said. “Oregonians will have the unfortunate opportunity to learn how justice delayed means justice denied.”
The closures are made necessary by an $11.1 million General Fund reduction to the Oregon Judicial Department’s 2007-09 budget. That cut was approved today by the legislative Ways and Means Committee. If approved by the full legislature and signed by the governor, expected next week, the cuts will require all department employees to take 16 unpaid furlough days before the end of June. Chief Justice De Muniz said he will issue a closure order when the governor signs the budget reduction into law.
The Friday closures will affect over 12,000 trials and other proceedings already scheduled through June. The closures threaten the courts’ ability to meet statutory deadlines in all cases and cause lengthy delays in resolving landlord/tenant, divorce, child support, child custody, and many other civil cases. More than 50,000 new cases are filed in Oregon circuit courts each month. Of particular concern is the continuing ability of courts to meet federal deadlines to review and handle child welfare cases to ensure their proper placement.
More drastic reductions in court services were avoided when the legislature reduced proposed General Fund cuts to the court system from $16.1 million to $11.1 million.
The cuts remove about 28 percent of the department’s remaining General Fund appropriation and take another $6.7 million in Other Funds (money from fees and fines), including $1.2 million in funds intended for enhanced courthouse security.
While saving the state about $3 million in staff salaries and benefits, the furloughs will cost the state about $5 million in reduced collections of court-imposed fees and fines in 2007-09. Restitution for crime victims and funds for other state and county services also will be reduced. Federal child welfare funds also might be affected if the courts cannot meet legal timelines to hear child welfare cases.
Further information on how this will affect the individual courts and calendars will be made available by these courts next week as they finish their plans.
The Presiding Judge didn’t mention whether the Judges still get paid for showing up on Friday, did he?
If so, then it’s just a pay cut for everybody EXCEPT the judges (who made the decision), and will simply increase the workload during the remaining four days of the week.
Pure politics.
The judges are independently elected officials with constitutionally protected salaries. Unlike us drones in the basement.
Might I suggest that someone please make some biscuit related posts?
Although the judges salaries are set by statute, there is nothing to prevent them cutting their own salaries in solidarity with the rest of the department. We are unrepresented and the judges are “bargaining” for us. Some bargain. We are the only “furloughed” agency at this point. Also, let’s call it what it is: a tax increase targeted at unrepresented state workers. It’s time for Oregonians to pay sufficient taxes to pay their bills instead of exacting this heavy load on only a few.