PoliBlog

Well, When There's no Money...

From Montgomery County Alabama we have the following: Courts cancel trials by jury

No jurors will meet behind closed doors to determine the fate of Montgomery County's accused for the next month and a half.

[...]

To save money in the face of Alabama's budget woes, the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts has asked the state's court systems to reduce the days of jury trials by one-third, Montgomery County Court Administrator Bob Merrill said.

Most of the money for the county court system, including funds for paying jurors, comes from the state's coffers.

To accommodate the state's request, the county courts stopped calling in jurors this week and will not bring in another jury pool until Jan. 12.

And then from nearby Autaga County: Budget cuts hinder courts

Autauga County's lone bailiff is being forced out of a job he's held for 11 years and two months as judges reduce the workforce in courthouses across the state.

Now the county is struggling to find a way to perform Rick Allen's duties.

Allen is among the casualties from the budget cuts to Alabama's judicial system as a result of the Sept. 9 defeat of Gov. Bob Riley's $1.2 billion tax reform and accountability plan.

But, of course, the state doesn't need any extra revenue...