State budget cuts affect courts, hurt clients

More and more states are cutting their budgets, which means less money for the court system. Since the court system lacks funds, it means that everyone — from top business executives to welfare recipients — will be affected. 

The state budget cuts have assured judges, prosecutors and public defenders piles of unread cases, suspended trials and court delays. Often there isn’t enough money in state courts to retain employees or to take on every case that needs a quick decision.

“At least 25 state court systems face budget shortfalls this fiscal year,” according to Daniel Hall, a vice president with the National Center for State Courts, a research and advocacy organization representing the 50 state court systems.

Since courts systems across the country are crammed with court delays due to pinched wallets, businesses and everyday people must combat with legal fees—on a daily basis. Meaning that the longer you have to wait for your civil court decision to be made, the more debt you will be swimming in.

And for those waiting to resolve foreclosure issues — forget the notion of having it solved within a week. There are too many cases and not enough lawyers.

A majority of criminal defense cases involve public defenders, but since there aren’t enough public defenders, their clients will sit in jail for weeks— maybe even some who are innocent, leaving the true criminal at large.