Grim Prognosis for State Courts Across the Country

The National Law Journal today has an article summarizing many of the budget cuts state courts have faced(link requires free subscription) over the past year, and are planned through 2010 and 2011. Due to budget struggles, courts have been losing staff and thus have become slower at processing cases just at a time when more people are becoming involved in the legal system. As Access to Justice commissions across the country are exploring ways of improving access to attorneys for low-income individuals, determining ways to shore up state court systems is an absolutely necessary goal as well.