NCJ Number
143600
Date Published
1989
Length
31 pages
Annotation
State court financing is examined in terms of its historical development, current issues, and the current distribution of State and local responsibility for financing courts.
Abstract
Until recent decades, the financing of State trial courts was considered a responsibility of local government. The major State responsibility was the support of appellate courts, although local governments sometimes shared the costs. However, structural and administrative unification was often linked conceptually to State financing. In the 1980's, the fiscal crises of local governments led them to become strong supporters of State financing. Currently, the populous States with large metropolitan areas are starting to move toward State financing. Issues relating to State financing include the nature and scope of State financing, transition issues, and the relationships between trial court judges and local governments. The approaches in individual States now vary from almost 100-percent State financing to substantial local funding except for judicial salaries and minor items. Footnotes and chart showing State-by-State funding approaches