Justice delayed in Massachusetts

September 28, 2011

Massachusetts: Massachusetts judges and court staff are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of court funds. A hiring freeze, in effect since 2008, has caused a shortage of personnel, most notably clerks, who are required to staff court sessions. Since 2007, 1,167 court employees have been lost due to attrition. Last week, a Suffolk County Superior Court Judge had to wait over two hours for a clerk to come from another session. Similar delays across the state are causing cases to pile up. "It really is at the point now where we cannot continue to deliver justice," explained Robert A. Mulligan, the chief justice of trial court administration. Magistrate clerk Gary Wilson explained that efficient management of the few personnel available is "a challenge every day."

The state's courts have lost approximately $70 million in funding over the past four years. State budgets are set by the Legislature. However, as Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty explained to the Boston Globe, other services in need of funding, such as schools and healthcare, have more support from the Legislature.