The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety in the General Assembly is considering a budget proposal which would cut an additional $4.2 million from the judicial budget of the State of North Carolina. A significant portion of this proposal, valued at approximately $1 million, is the elimination of all trial court administrator positions throughout the state. If the proposed budget passes the House, it will then go to the Senate, which will also be considering how best to find the cuts needed to balance the budget.
Cutting Trial Court Administrator (TCA) positions would be a severe blow to the efficiency of civil justice in North Carolina. In twelve of our busiest judicial districts, the citizens and businesses who come to our courts for settlements of their disputes will find dockets that are crowded and cannot be adequately managed. Civil justice will inevitably suffer. Criminal cases will probably be affected too, as judges will be forced to devote some of their energies to the administrative tasks currently handled by the TCAs.
This is not just an issue for lawyers and judges. Citizens and businesses depend on our courts for the efficient and orderly resolution of disputes. Businesses and individuals already complain that the resolution of disputes in court is too slow, too costly, and requires too much effort from those whose time could be better spent creating jobs or working to build our economy. Eliminating trial court administrators from the court systems in our state’s commercial hubs will only make the problem worse.
We need your help to inform and educate legislators of the importance of our Trial Court Administrators to the fair and effective handling of civil lawsuits, and to urge them not to eliminate these vital positions from the judicial budget.
Please consider contacting the legislators on the lists below to express your opposition to further cuts to the judicial budget.
House Appropriations Committee For Justice and Public Safety Committee Chairs
Representative James L. Boles, Jr.
| Office: | 528 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5903 |
| Email: | Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net |
Representative N. Leo Daughtry
| Office: | 2207 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5605 |
| Email: | Leo.Daughtry@ncleg.net |
Representative Pat B. Hurley
| Office: | 532 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5865 |
| Email: | Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net |
Representative Shirley B. Randleman
| Office: | 531 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5935 |
| Email: | Shirley.Randleman@ncleg.net |
Vice Chairs
Representative John Faircloth
| Office: | 306A3 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5877 |
| Email: | John.Faircloth@ncleg.net |
Representative Dan W. Ingle
| Office: | 530 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5905 |
| Email: | Dan.Ingle@ncleg.net |
Representative Timothy L. Spear
| Office: | 402 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-715-3029 |
| Email: | Tim.Spear@ncleg.net |
Representative Sarah Stevens
| Office: | 416A Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-715-1883 |
| Email: | Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net |
Committee Members
Representative Trudi Walend
| Office: | 503 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-715-4466 |
| Email: | Trudi.Walend@ncleg.net |
Representative Annie W. Mobley
| Office: | 501 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5780 |
| Email: | Annie.Mobley@ncleg.net |
Representative Patsy Keever
| Office: | 1317 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5746 |
| Email: | Patsy.Keever@ncleg.net |
Representative Darren G. Jackson
| Office: | 1019 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5974 |
| Email: | Darren.Jackson@ncleg.net |
Representative D. Craig Horn
| Office: | 1010 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-2406 |
| Email: | Craig.Horn@ncleg.net |
Representative Charles Graham
| Office: | 1315 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-715-0875 |
| Email: | Charles.Graham@ncleg.net |
Representative Rayne Brown
| Office: | 638 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-715-0873 |
| Email: | Rayne.Brown@ncleg.net |
Representative Alice L. Bordsen
| Office: | 602 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5820 |
| Email: | Alice.Bordsen@ncleg.net |
Representative Martha B. Alexander
| Office: | 1213 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | 919-733-5807 |
| Email: | Martha.Alexander@ncleg.net |
Senate Standing Committee Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety
Senator Harry Brown – Co-Chair
| Office: | 300-B Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 715-3034 |
| Email: | Harry.Brown@ncleg.net |
Senator Thom Goolsby- Co-Chair
| Office: | 2115 Legislative Building |
| Phone: | (919) 715-2525 |
| Email: | Thom.Goolsby@ncleg.net |
Senator Ed Jones – Vice Chair
| Office: | 518 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 715-3032 |
| Email: | Edward.Jones@ncleg.net |
Senator Dan Soucek- Vice Chair
| Office: | 310 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 733-5742 |
| Email: | Dan.Soucek@ncleg.net |
Senator Daniel G. Clodfelter
| Office: | 526 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 715-8331 |
| Email: | Daniel.Clodfelter@ncleg.net |
Senator Don East
| Office: | 521 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 733-5743 |
| Email: | Don.East@ncleg.net |
Senator E. S. (Buck) Newton
| Office: | 410 Legislative Office Building |
| Phone: | (919) 715-3030 |
| Email: | Buck.Newton@ncleg.net |