Judges, court administrators and attorneys testified Friday before the New York County Lawyers’ Association’s Judicial Budget Cuts Task Force on the effect of budget cuts and reduced court staffs. Topics addressed during the six-hour hearing ranged from the impact of the cuts on families and children to the effect on the criminal courts and on federal courts.
Surrogate Kristin Booth Glen (See Profile) reported that a reduced staff has stalled initiatives to improve court access. She said, implementation of a pilot mediation program is “slowing down” and a website redesign to assist pro se litigants and attorneys unfamiliar with the Surrogate’s Court has stopped. “We have dreams and our dreams are deferred,” she said, adding later, “there is no time and no energy while we’re cranking out what we’re cranking out to keep the court moving.”
