The Office of Governmental Affairs of the Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts has issued an Urgent Action Request for Reports on the Effects of Judicial Branch Budget Reductions on Legal Practitioners, Their Clients, and Court Users.

The Council is in the process of compiling necessary information to convey to the legislative and executive branches the true nature of these impacts and the need to restore funding to the judicial branch budget. This can only be accomplished through the Council's ability to share clear, meaningful examples of what these reductions mean in human terms and how access to justice has been compromised in California.

Information contained by each submission should include, but is not limited to:
    1. The trial court at which the incident you are describing occurred;
    2. The type of case you or your client brought before the court;
    3. The specific reduction in programs or services that impacted you or your client; and
    4. The immediate, subsequent, or residual effect that the reduction had on you or your client,
        and what that means in terms of access to and the delivery of justice.

Please immediately begin sending your observations and experiences and those of your clients as they occur to:

Donna Hershkowitz, Assistant Director
Office of Governmental Affairs
Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts
donna.hershkowitz@jud.ca.gov

Should you have any questions, please contact Donna Hershkowitz at 916.323.3121.