By Alabama chief justice orders cuts in trial weeks
Montgomery, AL – Alabama's chief justice has ordered
courts to reduce the number of weeks allotted for trials on their
calendars. She has also authorized the presiding circuit judge at
every courthouse to close offices every Friday if necessary to help
pay for budget cuts.
Alabama's trial courts haven't been cut nearly as much as most
state programs, but Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb said years of
underfunding are catching up. An order she signed Tuesday reduces
the number of weeks scheduled for civil court by half and criminal
court by one-fourth. Her administrative order also calls for
counties with multiple courthouses to consolidate court offices and
courtrooms into one courthouse. She's also asking jurors to serve
for free.
Cobb predicts the cuts will result in longer waits for trials.