Subtle Warnings As New Court Cuts Loom

Listen with the right kind of hearing and you detect subtle warnings ahead of the next big wave of state civil court cutbacks. For example, when Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye says, during her State of the Judiciary address no less, that California, “normally a leader in social justice, may now be facing a civil rights crisis,” you can bet somebody is drafting arguments. 
 
Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye (Photo: California Courts)

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye (Photo: California Courts)

The “civil rights” issue has always been king of criminal courts, of course, and an array of rulings and legislation govern how much the state can cut in that realm. That’s why most of the court cutback anguish is coming to fee-collecting civil courts. But you see the next argument when the Chief Justice says budget cuts have brought “… unconscionable delays” in getting a court date in civil matters, including divorce, contract disputes and discrimination cases. The first two are one thing, the later is another and hints at the civil rights argument.
 
Many of the real court cuts are due in the April/May window in front of June fiscal deadlines. So you can look for a big-time increase in rhetoric; our guess is the over/under for lawsuits against the civil court cuts is down to 45 days. Read between the lines in the L.A. Times here.