Cuts could mean justice denied
PAM LOUWAGIE, Star Tribune
The wheels of justice are grinding slower and slower in Olmsted County — and across Minnesota.
Counties are short of judges. Public defenders are overbooked. About 250 court positions around the state are vacant. Paperwork is stacking up. It’s taking longer to file orders for protection, get divorced, collect debts, even contest traffic tickets.
And with Minnesota now facing a $6.2 billion deficit, the prospect of any more state cuts is chilling to court officers.
“I cannot overestimate the importance of this issue,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. “The success of our democracy depends on a vibrant, fully functioning justice system … We can’t put the people in prison that we’re afraid of if we don’t have an adequately funded justice system.”