Expect court delays due to budget woes

December 19, 2009

California budget woes are likely to be felt throughout the state trial court system, threatening hundreds of legal jobs and bringing the judicial process to a crawl. Cash-strapped Sacramento cut almost $400 million from the judicial budget and California courts have been ordered to close one day a month to save additional money.

One prominent judge interviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle warns that there will be serious delays in scheduling trials unless the budget situation is resolved soon — the time it takes for family and civil cases to reach a judge, for example, could triple.

Some officials are calling for funds intended to build new courtrooms be diverted to make up for the budget deficit.