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Robert Nelson and Kelly Dermody Comment On Devastating Budget Cuts At San Francisco Superior Court
July 20, 2011
California's ongoing state budget crisis is having a significant impact on the Superior Court in San Francisco, resulting in the court planning to shut down 40 percent of its courtrooms and lay off the court staff that works in them. Lieff Cabraser attorneys have joined judges, court administrators, and other attorneys in sounding the alarm.
"The problem is, as a trial lawyer, is getting your case to trial. And if this court is unable to get cases to trial, then essentially there's no justice and the civil justice system fails." said Lieff Cabraser attorney Robert Nelson on National Public Radio.
The issue has risen to the top of the Bar Association of San Francisco's (BASF) priorities too. "Everyone is incredibly concerned and distressed," said BASF's President-elect and Lieff Cabraser attorney Kelly Dermody in The Recorder. "The most disturbing thing about this is how quickly it happened without any chance from those of us in the bar to articulate the most dire impacts of these cuts and to have had a chance to move the needle to prevent much of this from happening ."
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Katherine Feinstein commented that the cuts are expected to slow civil cases to a virtual standstill. People will have to wait in line for hours just to pay a fine, and all but a handful of civil cases could be delayed significantly to get a court date.
Dermody added that complex cases in the S.F. courts also include consumer cases. "What happens to these folks? They could be losing their houses. Their credit could be so damaged they can't get jobs," Dermody said.