TOPEKA – Chief Supreme Court Justice Lawton Nuss has ordered all state courts to close for five Fridays beginning next week. The Friday closings will be April 13 and 27th, May 11 and 25th, and June 8th. Nuss said the closures are necessary because legislators failed to approve $1.4 million in supplemental funding that had been negotiated between House and Senate leaders. Speaker Mike O’Neal and other conservative members of the House rebelled at a deal for funding public education, which is part of the supplemental funding bill, leaving funding for the courts in limbo. Without the bill, the state court system doesn’t have enough money to make its payroll through the end of the state fiscal year ending June 30, Nuss said. Because of the impasse, he has no assurance that the state courts will get any many to make up the shortfall, he said. “The Supreme Court simply believes it has no real choice but to act now, rather than face the uncertainties of what may happen when the legislature returns,” Nuss said. “If we gamble on getting the supplemental appropriation when the legislature returns, but something arises that prevents it, then the impact on our employees is more severe over the time that is left. We will rescind the remaining furlough days if the supplemental appropriation is approved.” The need for a supplemental appropriation was made known to the legislature in January when the judicial branch advised it had more than a $1 million shortfall. The shortfall occurred because a large part of the judicial branch budget comes from case filing fees, and case filings were down during the first half of the fiscal year, causing a loss of revenue. The judicial branch budget is primarily made up of wages and salaries because most other judicial operations are paid by counties. The shortfall equates to about five days of court operations for employee wages. All 1,500 employees except judges will be furloughed without pay. Nuss said that under the state constitution, the pay of judges can’t be reduced unless all other state officers’ pay is reduced. Judges will work in their offices on those days. O’Neal and other critics have suggested that money be moved from other judicial funds, but Nuss says state laws forbid that money to be used for salaries or otherwise diverted.
Wednesday, April 4, 8 p.m.
