New York courts will close earlier to reduce overtime
In response to state budget cuts, New York judges were recently told to shut down their court rooms half an hour earlier to decrease overtime for courthouse staff and personnel, according to The New York Times. This means that court proceedings in the state will now end at 4:30 p.m. In order to extend proceedings, judges will have to obtain approval from the court's administrative judge.
Ann Pfau, the administrative judge for the state, wrote in a two-page memorandum that she hoped the arrangement would minimize layoffs, according to Law.com. The memorandum also ended the practice of allowing juries' deliberations to continue through the lunch hour, as this resulted in overtime claims from staff.
The announcement, which affects both local and state courts, came several days after the state announced budget cuts to the judiciary system. Funding was reduced by $170 million - a 6 percent cut from last year's budget, which was 2 percent more than the $100 million reduction suggested by New York's chief justice in February.
The decrease in judicial funding was partly responsible for restoring approximately $480 million in funds to education and healthcare that would otherwise have been cut.
Ann Pfau, the administrative judge for the state, wrote in a two-page memorandum that she hoped the arrangement would minimize layoffs, according to Law.com. The memorandum also ended the practice of allowing juries' deliberations to continue through the lunch hour, as this resulted in overtime claims from staff.
The announcement, which affects both local and state courts, came several days after the state announced budget cuts to the judiciary system. Funding was reduced by $170 million - a 6 percent cut from last year's budget, which was 2 percent more than the $100 million reduction suggested by New York's chief justice in February.
The decrease in judicial funding was partly responsible for restoring approximately $480 million in funds to education and healthcare that would otherwise have been cut.
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