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Statement
of Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
In
Response to the Governor's Judicial Budget Announcement
February 20, 2003
I
am pleased that the Governor has expressed his strong support for
addressing issues of reform in the management of our court system.
The Justices await the report of the Visiting Committee on Management
in the Courts headed by Boston College Chancellor J. Donald Monan,
S.J., which was charged a short six months ago to provide an independent
analysis of management in the courts, together with recommendations
for its improvement. I look forward to continuing a dialogue with
the Governor, and with the Legislature. These issues are critically
important to the long-term health of the Judiciary, and to the people
of Massachusetts, for whom access to justice is as essential as the
air we breathe.
Budget
cuts of the magnitude recommended by the Governor are of the gravest
concern, even as we appreciate the significant fiscal challenges
we all face. The changes to which much of his budget is keyed are
complex and sweeping, and will significantly impact the way our
courts operate.
The
Justices intend to study the Governor's proposals closely, and to
confer with Chief Justice Dortch-Okara and the Chief Justices
of the Appeals Court and the Trial Courts, before we offer
a more detailed response. Surely the Governor's recommendations
warrant our most careful consideration.
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