Following the release of the Governor’s Budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2012, Boston Bar Association President Lisa C. Goodheart today made the following statement:
“Because the delivery of justice system in Massachusetts has many interrelated parts, including our state courts, civil legal aid, and criminal prosecution and indigent defense, it is difficult to view any one piece of the puzzle in isolation. Still, as we focus in particular on the Governor’s proposed level funding of the judiciary, we are concerned about the continued fiscal strains facing our courts. We see judges and court personnel continuing to soldier on without the resources to adequately serve the people who come before them each day. Level funding will not solve the issue of reduced personnel and curtailed hours at certain courts, long waiting periods, and major public safety issues.
We urge the House and Senate in coming months to consider the needs of the courts and the entire justice system in Massachusetts.”
