Lynch Inaugurated

Governor John Lynch has taken the Oath of Office from Chief Justice John Broderick, and begun his third term as Governor of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Courts in the L.A. Times

Bob Drogin of the Los Angeles Times leads off his report on courts across the country facing tight budgets with a look at New Hampshire's decision to suspend jury trials in Feburary:

Financially strapped New Hampshire has become a poster child for the problem. Among other cost-cutting measures, state courts will halt for a month all civil and criminal jury trials early next year to save $73,000 in jurors' per diems. Officials warn they may add another four-week suspension.

"It brings our system almost to a screeching halt," said county prosecutor James M. Reams. His aides are scrambling to reschedule 77 criminal trials that were on the February docket.

"All the effort to subpoena witnesses and prepare for those trials is right out the window," Reams said, frustration in his voice. "Internally, it's a monumental waste of time. We'll have to redo everything."

Drogan also quotes Chief Justice John Broderick, repeating his concerns about the judicial system:

John T. Broderick, chief justice of the state Supreme Court, has carved $2.7 million from the judicial budget. In addition to the one-month halt in jury trials and trimming back courtroom security, seven of the state's 59 judgeships will be left vacant through June, when the fiscal year ends. Three of the empty slots are in trial courts.

Worse, Broderick said, he may need to suspend jury trials for another month, and leave open a Supreme Court slot after one of the five justices retires in February. It is the state's only appellate court.

"In my 36 years here as a lawyer and judge, I've never felt as insecure about the state courts in terms of operations and resources as I do now," Broderick said.

"I don't think we can run the justice system."

Chief Justice John Broderick claims that cutting the Judicial System's budget by 3% is impossible, despite Governor John Lynch's request that all segments of state government submit such plans. Lauren Dorgan gets the Chief's thoughts on the budget in this morning's Concord Monitor:

The judicial branch is operating without seven judges - a number Broderick described as extraordinary - with positions at almost every level left open by Gov. John Lynch.

"I don't remember any time in my now 36 years as a lawyer and judge in New Hampshire when there've been seven vacancies at one time," Broderick said.

At the request of the governor, Broderick laid out in a recent letter a series of steps the judicial branch could take to further cut its budget. The top of the list: holding open until the summer the Supreme Court vacancy that will be created when Justice Richard Galway steps down in February.

Broderick is not one of the Governor's department heads, but the presiding officer of a co-equal branch of government. But like the Governor, he still relies on the Legislature, and New Hampshire taxpayers, to pay his bills.