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Friday, March 04, 2011
Courts - "Judiciary Promises More Budget Cuts"
That is the headline to this March 3, 2011 story in the New York Law Journal, reported by Joel Stashenko, that begins:
ALBANY - The judiciary promised the cash-strapped state government to make an additional $100 million in budget cuts yesterday—economies that Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman predicted would cost some court employees their jobs."We are going to need layoffs here," the chief judge said in an interview after announcing that the courts would cut from the $2.7 billion budget proposed in December. "We're not talking about a large system of layoffs of 2,000 people. But whether it will be 25, 50, 150 or 200, I just don't know."
Judge Lippman said employees who work in courtrooms or back-office workers who support courtroom functions would be protected from cuts. But he said there are "loads" of court administrators and others in jobs that do not affect courtroom operations whose positions could be sacrificed.
Yesterday's comments were the first time the courts have raised the possibility of layoffs.
The courts employ about 15,200 non-judicial workers, approximately 1,100 less than three years ago. But the cuts in payroll have been achieved through early retirements coupled with a hiring freeze.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last month criticized the Judiciary for "not participating" in his efforts to close a budget gap of around $10 billion in the year that begins April 1.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 4, 2011 09:43 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts