Judge cutbacks will impair courts, senior judge says

The state judiciary has indefinitely suspended the use of senior judges because of a budget crisis brought on by reduced tax collections.

Counties have used senior judges, who are paid by the day, to help clear backlogs on court calendars and preside over trials.

The suspension will significantly impair the orderly administration of justice statewide, said Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland, who lashed out at state officials for the budget predicament.

“It’s unfortunate the state’s mismanagement of funds has brought to a halt the most fiscally responsible way to deal with the shortage of full-time judges available to handle increased civil filings and criminal prosecutions,” Westmoreland said in a statement.

For this reason, he said, “county jails will become even more crowded and cases will move slower through the system.” Westmoreland is president-elect of Council of Superior Court judges and chair of its budget committee.

“It’s sad the executive and legislative branches of state government have made use of their inability to manage the budget to reduce funds for senior judges and indigent defense, the significant areas of the justice system,” Westmoreland said.

Bert Brantley, a spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue, said the governor has not mismanaged the budget. In fact, because of conservative spending, the state built up $1.5 billion in reserves, of which $600 million was used to balance the books at the end of fiscal year 2008, which closed June 30.

“It would be fantastic, it would be great if the state was flush with money,” Brantley said. “But that’s not realistic. It’s not the situation we’re in. We’ve got to do the best with the resources we have.”