Court Closings Damage Society

Court Closings Damage Society

By:


I am not a lawyer, I am a judgment referral expert (Judgment Broker). This article is my opinion, about the recent civil court closings that have already occurred, or will soon happen in California, and possibly other states.

Historically, courts have increased their fees to cover the expenses of labor and other costs. While distasteful, that is a rational way to increase revenue.

Historically, courts have reduced their work force or have reduced wages. That is distasteful, but is also a reasonable way to grow revenue.

Closing civil courts completely, or to add very long delays to civil court procedures, is not rational. Courts are not parks or libraries. Court access is required by law, and required for society to function properly. Without timely performance from civil courts, some people might operate outside the courts, which is probably not good for society.

The courts of San Francisco, California have cut so many of their workers, that it will take many more hours to do anything (paying a traffic ticket, getting a writ, recording a court document) in person. It is also estimated that it will take up to eighteen months to finalize a divorce, and up to 5 years for a lawsuit to go to trial.

It is not only San Francisco County that has already cut, or is planning to soon make drastic cuts to civil courts. The San Joaquin County Superior Court is closing its Tracy branch courthouse at 475 East 10th Street in Tracy, and at least one other Lodi courthouse at 315 West Elm Street.

Amazingly, San Joaquin County will no longer have a small claims court. Imagine a County where there was perhaps no way to sue, recover, or satisfy a small claims court judgment?

With civil court delays, some judgments may be renewed as quickly as the law allows, to allow for delays. Some will settle their issues out of court, including problems that needed to be settled in court. Attorneys will be paid to wait in line, which is not an optimum use of their time. Some might stop using the civil courts.

Stopping, or severely limiting civil courts might affect society. Time is always of value. Waiting 5 years for a lawsuit to go to trial would be like waiting 2 hours for a dial tone, when you tried to use a phone. When something cannot be used on a timely basis, it cannot always be used.

As the constitution guarantees speedy trials, criminal courts will not be affected very much. I think the civil branch of the courts is also very important. Cutting civil courts may increase the load on the criminal courts.

If things are bad, I think downsizing or charging more, is the right thing to do first. Stopping a vital civil service should be done only as a last resort. It is better to double the fees, than to make people spend more time waiting, or stopping required services.

I am not an attorney (or an expert in more than a few fields). That said, I think there is a relationship between civil and criminal law. When laws change, or stop being enforced on one side - it could affect the other side.

I know at least one law that could be changed that would save the courts, prisons, police, and the sheriff a lot of money. Public safety and helping society stay organized and stable should be high on everyone's priority list. Closing a library is inconvenient. Closing or weakening civil court access may affect society.

About the Author:
Mark D. Shapiro - Judgment Broker - Free leads for Judgment Enforcers and contingency collection attorneys.
http://www.JudgmentBuy.com - is the judgment super-site where Judgments quickly get Purchased or Enforced by the best!



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , , , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent News-and-Society Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.