The state’s highest court yesterday called on Gov. Deval Patrick to freeze political appointments to the judiciary and announced the consolidation of nearly a dozen courts because the fiscal 2012 budget contains such drastic cuts that the courts are unable to ensure justice “as required by our Constitution.”
“We make this request on moratoriums with great reluctance and regret,” says the letter signed by all seven justices, including Roderick Ireland who was appointed chief justice by Patrick. “The people of Massachusetts deserve better. But the fiscal jeopardy into which the operations of the Trial Court has been placed demands extraordinary action.”
Spokesmen for the courts and Patrick did not immediately return calls for comment.
Ireland and Judge Robert Mulligan, the chief justice of administration and management, issued a joint statement saying the $519.9 million judiciary budget is $24.2 million below the level funding the courts had sought and contains unattainable assumptions on retained revenues that actually make the budget $509 million, about 16 percent less than 2009.
The letter to Patrick states that for every appointment of a new judge or clerk that Patrick makes that three lower level support employees will have to be laid off. The statement and letter point out that 1,115 court employees have been laid off or retired and not replaced in the last three years and 60 percent of the courts are running below optimum staffing. The biggest cuts have been in courthouse security in and outside the courtrooms, the justices say.
At the same time, Mulligan sent a letter to Patrick and legislative leaders detailing the list of courts that will be consolidated. The letter made a point of telling lawmakers that their communities will be impacted by the cuts and layoffs may be unavoidable. It also warned that potential jurors will have to travel further and police will spend more time traveling to and from courts.
“The current FY2012 budget will be, without exaggeration, catastrophic to the operation of the courts and will obstruct the Trial Court’s constitutional mandate to deliver justice ‘completely and without denial, promptly and without delay,’” Mulligan wrote to House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray.
The following is the list of courthouses that will be affected by the cuts:
Berkshire Juvenile Court moved to Northern Berkshire District Court (North Adams)
Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court to the Boston Municipal Court
Framingham Juvenile Court to Marlborough District Court
Gloucester District Court to Salem District Court
Hingham District Court to Brockton District Court
Leominster District Court to Clinton District Court / Fitchburg District Court
New Bedford Housing Court to New Bedford District Court or to Fall River Durfee Courthouse
Norfolk Juvenile Court (Dedham) to Brookline District Court
Brookline District Court criminal matters to Dedham District Court; civil matters to Newton District Court
Wareham District Court to Plymouth District Court
Westborough District Court to Worcester District Court
Westfield District Court to Holyoke District Court /Chicopee District Court / So. Berkshire District Court
