Alabama’s Courts Could Face Cuts, Layoffs

The Alabama Court system has seen cuts year after year, and Chief Justice Moore says he is tired of being underfunded.

 

“We’ve been cut over the years some 200 employees short in the clerk’s office and court specialists, we’ve got 85 juvenile probation officers cut, we have staff for those juvenile staff programs, about 20 we need. And we need good funding,” said Chief Justice Moore.

 

He’s asking the governor and lawmakers for about 26 million dollars more this year. The courts received about 87 million in funding last year.

 

He says he’s not sure why the court system is the first to get cut, and every cut hurts. 

 

“We’re still short this year 6.5 million dollars and if we don’t get that money we could possibly have layoffs, effects on our drug courts, our veterans courts, and other areas of impact on our court system.”

 

But some aren’t sure if the money is there to give to the courts.

 

State Representative Joe Hubbard is also a lawyer. He says he’s seen firsthand how the courts are being affected. 

 

“You see backlogs of cases in the courts and you know, I think anybody who’s ever had a matter before the court understands it’s a slow process. In the past year or so it’s been a much slower process,” said Rep. Hubbard.

 

He says the main reason courts aren’t getting money is because one program in particular keeps growing. 

 

“Right now you’re seeing medicaid taking up over a third of the medicaid budget. And as medicaid costs continue to grow and general fund revenues continue to shrink, other agencies and services are going to take the hit.”

 

Moore’s budget request will now head to the governor who will go over it before presenting his budget to lawmakers later this session.