BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A study says the South Central Judicial District has the greatest need for district judges and judicial referees in North Dakota.
A 2017 weighted caseload study found the district encompassing Burleigh, Morton and seven other counties faces a shortage of 3.06 judicial officers.
“They definitely have the biggest overall shortage as far as judicial bodies, that’s for sure,” said Sally Holewa, the state court administrator.
People were interested in these podcasts
The study also identified a general shortage across North Dakota.
The South Central district has had a steadily rising caseload, including 831 criminal cases last year from the Dakota Access protests, the Bismarck Tribune reported. The district also met a statewide slash of 13 percent to court staff from budget cuts.
Holewa said the district has had help from outside judges to take on the load, particularly the protest cases.
“I don’t imagine that somehow three more judges are going to be here, and we are managing the caseload,” said the district’s Presiding Judge Gail Hagerty. “It requires that we all work together. We have to be really smart about the way we do things.”
There’s been a shortage since 1995, according to Holewa.
Holewa and Hagerty said the Legislature can only add judgeships. “We put our needs out there,” said Holewa. “We hope they can be accommodated.”
“I wish I had a good answer for the shortage,” said Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court. “It’s easy to say ’Just give us more people.’ I’ve been around so long that I understand the legislative problem. Everyone needs more people.”
___
Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.