New York’s courts began cutting staff and services after the state budget reduced court funding by $170 million, about 6%. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget, announced March 27, restored $480 million to education and human services while cutting the courts. Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of the New York Court of Appeals had proposed a $100 million cut, and the governor had asked all state departments for 10% cuts at the start of negotiations.
Lippman said the cuts would bring layoffs at every level of the courts. “It will have a tremendous impact on the system. At a minimum, you’re going to see delays in the administration of justice, without question,” he said.
The first round of layoffs, 58 full-time and 16 temporary employees, was the first downsizing of the courts in 20 years. The court system told unions to expect 400 to 500 layoffs beginning June 1, according to the Civil Service Employees Association, one of 11 unions representing court workers.
Courts in Western New York closed courthouses early and dropped evening small claims hearings. The 8th Judicial District ended a program that used retired judges to handle jury selection and asbestos cases. “If people are looking for expeditious resolution to various civil matters, their expectations may not be met,” said Scott Schwartz, president of the Bar Association of Erie County.
The court system also decided to suspend the services of judicial hearing officers, retired judges who performed key functions in many courts. In the criminal courts of New York County, the borough of Manhattan, weekend arraignment sessions were set to shrink from seven hours to 4.5 hours during the day and from seven hours to four at night.
Peter Hardin reported this story for Gavel Grab on May 17, 2011, when the site was a project of Justice at Stake. His original post is preserved by the Internet Archive. This account of the same events was written from the public record.
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