Members of the Senate Appropriations Judicial Subcommittee listened for more than three hours Monday as court officials talked about budget cuts for the upcoming fiscal year and the impacts these cuts would have on Georgia’s court system. At one point, Omotayo B. Alli, Executive Director of the Georgia Public Defender Council, told the committee members that if they insist on weeks of furloughs for her staff, “The criminal justice system is going to crash.”
Alli also asked the lawmakers to “do something a little different for the Public Defenders.”
“I ask you to look at us in a different light,” she added. “We are the safety net for so many. Public Defenders can connect all the dots. We can make a difference.”
Others talked about a court system across Georgia that will be short-handed and backlogged because of furloughs and budget cuts. Officials said indictments have already been delayed and court cases have been postponed because of the outbreak of COVID-19. The budget cuts and furloughs will only add to the backlogs, officials warned.
State budget writers are meeting with state agencies and departments heads in preparation for resumption of the Legislation Session later this month. Their top priority will be to pass the FY21 budget but it won’t be an easy task. Governor Brian Kemp has asked for a 14 percent cut in the FY21 budget — amounting to more than $3.5 billion.
Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick), who chairs Senate judicial budget subcommittee, reminded members that all agencies were subject to budget cuts, although he added that not every agency may see the 14 percent reduction.
“The governor’s office is not exempt from this 14 percent reduction proposal, nor is the legislative branch, nor is any executive branch agency, and the judicial branch is not either,” Ligon said. “Spending cannot exceed revenue, and revenue has significantly declined. We saw a 35.9 percent decrease in April, and that’s why we are here.”
Pete Skandalakis, Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said district attorney offices would have to take furloughs and eliminate the jobs of 49 assistant district attorneys to meet the 14 percent requirement. This would amount to a saving of $6 million, he said.
Skandalakis pointed out that these cuts would be especially tough for district attorneys in rural areas where counties contribute little or nothing to help fund prosecutors.
“There are four counties in Georgia where the district attorney’s office has responsibility for prosecuting all cases — from speeding to double murders,” he said. “Losing even one prosecutor from their staff will have a major impact on court proceedings.”
Sara Doyle, Presiding judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, told members of the committee that to meet the proposed cuts, the court would have to cut 17 or 18 staff members and furlough others 22 days in the next fiscal year. “The end result is an appellate court that can’t fully function or won’t fully function.”
