California’s Chief Justice Loses Round over Judicial Council Power
Fair Courts E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Patrick McGreevy
Source: Los Angeles Times
Date: January 30, 2012
A bill sponsored by California Assemblyman Charles Calderon, which would transfer power over spending decisions from the state Judicial Council to local trial courts, is at the heart of a California court controversy. The state judiciary is facing severe court funding cuts, and Calderon claims that some courts have been forced to close due to budget cuts set by the Judicial Council, which prioritized funding a computer modernization program over keeping courtrooms open. In contrast, Democrat Mike Feuer called the bill a “distraction” from the actual problem of finding adequate money to keep courts operating. According to Feurer, “We’re on the verge of a constitutional crisis in our state. . . because our courts are so severely underfunded.” A Los Angeles Times article called the bill an “inappropriate intrusion into the fundamental governance of the judicial branch.” Meanwhile, an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle worried that the bill “threatens judicial independence and a 15-year effort to instill consistent practices and standards from county to county.”
See also: Legislature Meddling in State Judicial Conflict, San Francisco Chronicle, February 1, 2012.