Cuts could shut courts for seven weeks
Oregon’s budget crisis could force the equivalent of seven weeks worth of court closures or the jobs of 277 full-time employees.
The Oregon Judicial Department projected that cutting its budget by 9 percent would require it to slash $13.2 million from its nearly $300 million general fund.
The department revealed that the cuts would only take place if several legislative and executive actions occur. Revenue forecasters projected that Oregon faces a $577 million shortfall compared to what they’d anticipated when the last legislative session adjourned. The shortfall means that the state must dramatically cut spending that lawmakers had already approved.
The judicial closures, which would affect courts in all 36 Oregon counties, would result from the loss of operating costs for the facilities and salary and benefits for court employees. The system includes circuit, tax and appeals courts low fee payday advance.
Attorneys and businesses needing to handle court cases could face legal logjams as judges determine how to handle civil cases. Criminal cases are handled before civil cases because defendants have constitutional rights to faster trials.
Such closures could further affect domestic violence victims or stalking victims who might find it more difficult to obtain restraining orders in a timely fashion, said Phil Lemman, a judicial department spokesman.
“There are many things like that that we handle every day for Oregonians,” he said. “Where would people go to take action on that?”
If the courts aren’t closed, some 277 employees who work in the buildings could lose their jobs.