Orange County Courts Finances

An emergency bill that would provide the funding needed to avert a threatened shutdown of the county courts is expected to come before the state Assembly for a vote today and might land on Gov. Pete Wilson's desk by Friday. But anxious county officials said Wednesday that court funds are rapidly being depleted and will probably run out within two weeks unless the state bailout is approved.

The state Judicial Council denied Orange County's request Friday for $26.8 million needed to keep the county's courts from running out of money and shutting down for three months this spring. County and court officials said they would join forces to ask the Legislature for money to avoid a legal showdown in which the bankrupt county would be forced to provide extra funding under a court order.

In their most dire warning yet, Orange County's judges on Thursday urged that the county plug a $31.7-million shortfall or risk shuttering courthouses for three months and setting free thousands of criminal defendants next spring. Taking the first step toward a possible legal showdown with county officials, administrators for the six superior and municipal courthouses predicted starkly that they will run out of money by April 15 without the emergency infusion.

In their most dire warning yet, Orange County's judges said Thursday that courthouses could be shuttered for three months and thousands of criminal defendants set free next spring unless the county plugs a $31.7-million budget shortfall. Taking the first step toward a possible legal showdown with county officials, administrators for the six superior and municipal courthouses predicted starkly they will run out of money by April 15 without the emergency infusion.

Facing funding cutbacks, Orange County judges say they will run out of money by April 15, forcing the courts to close for three months next year. Judges petitioned Thursday for $31.7 million in emergency funding.

Orange County's top judge, who last week threatened legal action against the county to get more money for the courts, agreed after heated debate Monday to seek a compromise. But in the end, the judiciary must learn to do more with less, officials said. It's likely to be a long negotiating session too: The two sides cannot agree on even the most basic of figures. The courts claim they have a deficit of more than $40 million.

Acknowledging that their action could precipitate a constitutional crisis, Orange County's judges have served notice on the Board of Supervisors that it can expect a formal order to boost court funding by an amount that would break next year's budget. "We do not desire this confrontation over adequate trial court funding," Presiding Superior Court Judge James L. Smith said in letters sent to the supervisors late Tuesday.

Orange County's top judge warned Thursday he may order the county to provide more funding for its courts, the public safety arm that appears to be taking one of the biggest budget hits in the wake of the county's bankruptcy. "That's not what we want to do, of course," said Presiding Superior Court Judge James L. Smith, explaining that not enough money is being set aside to keep the courts in operation for the coming fiscal year.

The county's courts, already struggling with bankruptcy-related cutbacks and a burgeoning caseload, are bracing for two key funding decisions this month that could cause further strain. The impact of the county's bankruptcy already is being felt in many ways around its courthouses, where many petty crimes are no longer prosecuted, and the county's top Superior Court judge vacuums his own courtroom because of janitorial cuts.

With criminal defense costs for indigents climbing to a near-record total of $29 million during the last fiscal year, Orange County leaders are planning a complete review of their system for delivering legal services to poor people.