Iowa’s judicial branch plans ‘draconian’ budget measures

More than 100 employees within the Iowa Judicial Branch will soon be without employment, and an additional 100 currently vacant positions will not be filled, as the department makes deeper cuts in an attempt to reduce its operating expenses for the current fiscal year.

The actions, announced today, also include reducing the hours of 58 employees, and will ultimately result in a 9.3 percent reduction of workforce. The new cuts are in addition to the 10 days of court closures and unpaid leave or all judges, magistrates and count employees that were announced earlier this week.

In total, the cost-cutting measures are expected to reduce the operation budget for the judicial branch by $11.4 million, or 7.1 percent. That percentage corresponds with the state’s revenue shortfall as estimated by the State Revenue Estimating Conference last month.

“The judicial branch is concerned about the state’s financial crisis, and is doing all that it can reasonably do to reduce expenses,” said Chief Justice Marsha Ternus. “Budget cuts, however, typically have a disproportionate effect on the judicial branch because we have no reserve funds to tap and no programs to eliminate. We have people — employees and judges — who are the life-blood of the court system, directly providing the court services Iowans need. Even with a 7.1 percent cut the judicial branch will lay off more employees, cut more jobs and require more unpaid leave than most state offices and departments, including the regents.”

Although as a separate branch of government the judiciary is not subject to the 10 percent across-the-board cuts ordered by the governor for executive-branch agencies, the supreme court initially considered making cuts commensurate with it. The court decided, however, that a 7.1 percent reduction was “more prudent given the vital nature of court services,” yet would still be sufficient to meet the current revenue shortfall.

“The court thoroughly examined and earnestly consider the actions we would need to take to meet a 10 percent cut,” said Ternus. “At 10 percent, the cost in terms of public service would be enormous, decimating our workforce and crippling our ability to resolve critical cases and provide essential services. As it is, a 7.1 percent cut requires draconian measures that will result in long delays, gaps in service and reduced public access to the courts.”

She added that the court was concerned about the impact the cuts will have on work with troubled juveniles and abused and neglected children, and pledged to continue to give priority to such cases within the limits of the reduced resources.

“Despite these cuts, the judicial branch will continue to send judges to every county on a regular basis and to operate a clerk of court in each county,” she said. “However, because we have cut the staff in our clerk of court offices so deeply, we have no choice but to reduce the hours of those offices. Twenty-three clerk of court offices will operate less than 40 hours a week, and others will have reduced public hours so they have some uninterrupted time to work on backlogs.”

The Iowa Judicial Branch has had two previous rounds of budget cuts in 2009. In March, the legislature cut the appropriation to the branch’s fiscal year budget by $3.8 million, resulting in court closure days, reduction in travel and other cost-saving measures. In June, the supreme court approved a fiscal 2010 budget that reduced operating expenses by $5.4 million, which resulted in the elimination of 34 staff positions and more cuts. With the reduction announced today, there are 15 percent fewer judicial branch employees for fiscal year 2010 than there were 10 years ago.