Sign of the Times: San Francisco Court System "Essentially Out of Business".

[roxiejules]

via Washington's Blog 7/19/11


Sign of the Times: San Francisco Court System "Essentially Out of Business".


ABC news notes:


The presiding judge of San Francisco's court system announced Monday she is preparing to dismantle operations in the civil division of her court and she is warning the layoffs and closures will be drastic.


What is in store is plenty of pain. Pain for the public and pain for court workers, who face unprecedented layoffs. Courtrooms will be closed. Clerk's offices will be shuttered. And the hallways will be quiet.


"The civil division will essentially be out of business," Feinstein said. "The cases will sit on shelves piled high and will not make it into a courtroom for close to five years. It will for all practical purposes dismantle our court. Paying a traffic ticket for a criminal fine at the Hall of Justice will take hours standing in line. There will be fewer clerks there to process your payment. Obtaining a copy of a criminal or civil court record will take months. Obtaining a divorce will take at least a year and a half.




AP reports:


"The civil justice system in San Francisco is collapsing," Feinstein said.

***

"The future is very, very bleak for our courts" ....


In a press release issued yesterday, the Court said:


“Equal access to justice is one of the fundamental underpinnings of our democracy,” Judge Feinstein said.

[bluestateguy]

1. Drop all non-violent drug cases

That would clear a lot of the clogging.

[Dept of Beer]

2. Hmmmmm...

No steps toward fascism here at all.

Liberty for some, the rest may eat cake.

[PDJane]

3. Damnit people.........

RAISE TAXES!!!!

These are necessary services.

I do NOT understand the idea of cutting the hell out of services and safety nets so that the wealthy benefit.

It's time for another revolution.

[roxiejules]

5. Create crisis

then privatize.

[roxiejules]

4. Prepare for the outsourcing and privatization crowd to show up

I'm sure they have the model legislative bill ready for this 'crisis'.

[villager]

6. and yet ticket mills in places like L.A. keep humming along...

...perhaps with all the "self financing" that an increase in tickets brings to the court's budget?

[Politicalboi]

7. Yes stop non violent drug cases

And get rid of stenographers. We have camera's and other equipment to do that today.