THE JUDICIAL BRANCH last week announced a series of budget measures to respond to the budget appropriation of the Legislature under the continuing resolution that governs state spending until Oct. 1.

For the next three months, the judicial branch is authorized to operate on funding levels in the budget agreed to by the House and Senate for the current fiscal year. Under that budget, the judicial branch would receive an annual amount of $57.5 million, an increase of $1.7 million above the fiscal year 2003 appropriation. However, that increase is more than offset by obligatory increases in personnel, facilities and computerization costs.

The courts’ budget problem is heightened by severe limits the Legislature placed on its budget-cutting ability: the District Court and court facilities expenses are insulated from almost all of the cuts, and reductions elsewhere in the budget must be "proportional" across all expense areas. Court officials said this severely restricted their ability to avoid cuts in services in all but the district courts.

Last week, the judicial branch said it would implement a number of cost-cutting moves, among them:

• suspension of jury trials in Sept. 2003, along with the other three months of suspensions already planned in the fiscal year;
• postponement of the new appellate process , scheduled to be launched Sept. 1;
• temporary closure of the Manchester site of Hillsborough County Probate Court, shifting matters to the Nashua site;
• security reductions in superior courts "where possible" — thus reducing funds provided to sheriffs’ depts. For security;
• a hold on annual merit raises, reclassifications or promotions for all court employees;
• additional curtailment of public access "for some time at some court sites" as necessary;
• the transfer of three court transcriptionists from Hillsborough Superior –South to district court positions;
• posting district court and family division job openings internally, thus encouraging a workforce shift from Supreme, superior, and probate courts to the district courts, "consistent with the legislative priority accorded the district courts."

NH Supreme Court Associate Justice James E. Duggan appeared last week before the Legislative Fiscal Committee to announce these measures and to request the committee’s permission to transfer funds from certain expense areas (statewide expense, security, AOC/NH Law Library) to the Supreme, superior and probate courts. The Fiscal Committee tabled the request.

Check www.courts.state.nh.us or this site for updates.

Earlier in the month, the New Hampshire Supreme Court released a revised list of court fees reflecting a new $20 surcharge on new case filings effective July 1, 2003. The surcharge may remain in effect until Oct. 1, 2003, when the continuing resolution expires. Depending on legislative action, the surcharge could continue beyond that date. Check www.courts.state.nh.us/press/feesurcharge.htm for the list of revised fees.

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