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News Release
February 27, 2009
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Contact:
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Steve Davis, Court Communications Officer, (515)
725-8058
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Court Offices to Close Seven More Days
Des Moines, February 27, 2009— Today, the
Iowa Supreme Court issued an order requiring
all court offices, including clerk of district court offices and the office of
the clerk of the supreme court, to be closed for seven days before the end of
the current fiscal year on June 30. The move is in anticipation of a $3.8
million reduction in the FY 09 Iowa Judicial Branch operating budget. The
closures are in addition to the February 16, 2009, closure required in an
earlier supervisory order.
With the order, all court
staff will take unpaid leave March 20, April 10, April 24, May 8, May 22, June
5 and June 19, 2009. One day of unpaid leave for all judicial employees except
judges and magistrates (1,600 people) reduces expenditures by $335,009. Judges
and magistrates are not subject to the unpaid leave order because the
legislature sets their salaries and the supreme court lacks the statutory
authority to change these salaries. On days the court offices are closed,
judges and magistrates will work in their chambers to maintain a minimal level
of access to the courts.
The order also reduces the
public hours of all offices of the clerk of district court. Clerks' offices
will be closed to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to
closing.
"While this change in our customary public business hours is an
unwelcome reduction in public access to the courts, it is necessary to help
minimize other problems that will result from court closure days," State Court
Administrator David Boyd said. "By providing the clerk of district court offices
with some uninterrupted work time each week, we hope to maintain productivity
and thereby minimize delays in case processing."
Additionally, the supreme
court canceled its April 28-30 oral arguments to save travel expenses. The
supreme court justices will remain in their home counties and consider only
cases submitted without oral arguments. The court of appeals will also modify
its April oral argument schedule. A panel of judges residing in the Des Moines
area will hear oral arguments in the Judicial Branch Building and a second
panel of judges living in Northwest Iowa will hear cases in the Dickenson
County Courthouse in Spirit Lake. A third panel of judges will remain in their
home counties and consider only cases submitted without oral argument.
Today's order clarifies the
earlier supervisory order reducing judge and court reporter travel expenses and
gives chief judges the flexibility to assign a judge to preside over a trial
outside the official domicile when the compelling interest of justice requires
it or when the trial is held in a county where the judge resides.
In addition, to further reduce expenses, the judicial branch will
no longer post videos on its website, including supreme court oral arguments.
For more information, go to, www.iowacourts.gov.
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2009
Iowa
Supreme Court
1111 East
Court Avenue
Des Moines,
IA 50319
515-281-3952
