Funding to trial courts, remote appearances for most non criminal proceedings on CA Judicial Council agenda

At its July 24 meeting, the Judicial Council will consider recommendations on how to allocate funding to the trial courts included in the fiscal year 2020–21 State Budget.

The council’s Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee recommends using court workload to determine how to incorporate an ongoing reduction of $167.8 million, as well as $50 million in one-time funding included in the budget to help courts deal with backlogs caused by COVID-19-related service reductions.

Funding may change based on state revenues and additional budget reductions stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recession.

Other items on the council meeting agenda include:

Budget Change Proposals: The council will consider budget change proposals for fiscal year 2021–22 to submit to the state Department of Finance. The proposals include additional funding for capital cases, self-help centers, and courthouse construction and maintenance.

Remote Video Appearances for Court Proceedings: The council will consider a report regarding remote appearances for most noncriminal court proceedings. The report includes initial policy recommendations, as well as resources and key items for courts to consider as they introduce or expand remote appearances. The report will be supplemented with information on more recent remote video efforts underway.