State budget cuts make scheduling trials tougher, may impact court clerk hours

Clerk of Court offices in Iowa may face reduced hours when next year’s Judiciary budget goes into effect.
But the impact of cuts to the Judiciary Branch budget reductions have already hit rural counties hard. The Second Judiciary District, comprised of 22 Iowa counties, including Calhoun, has been running a judge short since a retirement in December, Calhoun County Attorney Tina Meth Farrington said earlier this month. That, combined with the decision by the district’s two senior judges – judges who have retired but still occasionally sit in court – not to take any trials, has made it nearly impossible for Farrington to schedule trials for the past few months.
“Even though I have a judge (assigned to Calhoun County), I don’t have a trial judge and I’m losing three trial dates,” she said.
Read more in the April 26 edition.