Justice Gilbertson presents South Dakota's State of the Judiciary
January 19, 2011
South Dakota: One week ago, David Gilbertson presented the 2011 State of the Judiciary to the South Dakota State Legislature. The main focus of the address was the fiscal state of the branch, in the past year and year to come. As Chief Justice, Gilbertson proposs a 5% cut to the judicial budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year beginning in July.[1]
That five percent may not be enough to satisfy lawmakers though. Governor Dennis Daugaard has stated his goal to reduce the budget of executive branch agencies under his control by ten percent. The Chief Justice insisted that while he understands the current budget woes of South Dakota, the judicial system is as busy as ever. "...There is no moratorium on crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, domestic abuse or the need for access to justice. If anything, our current economic woes have increased these problems."[1]
He also suggested that the judicial branch already has saved the state thousands, through the special drug court programs. This program prevents repeat offenses by offering treatment and supervision, costing $3 a day, as opposed to the $63 per day it costs to jail someone in the state.[1]
In an editorial critical of Gilbertson's proposal, one writer suggested that the judiciary should not be exempt from a statewide budget reduction of 10%.[2]
To watch the full video of this year's State of the Judiciary, click here.
Footnotes
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Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Dakota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Dakota
State courts:
South Dakota Supreme Court • South Dakota Circuit Courts • South Dakota Magistrate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Dakota • South Dakota judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Dakota
