Disorder in the court

A bunch of factors mostly related to the economy have resulted in a "noticeable increase in crankiness," writes Supervising Judge Thomas White in the L.A. Superior Court's annual report. That includes shouting, brawls and other courtroom disturbances by defendants as well as witnesses. We shouldn't be surprised - the economic downturn has increased the kinds of money- and family-related cases that generate hostility. Huge budget cuts in the court system haven't helped.

Although I don't know why it's happening, I suspect that I am seeing the emotional impact of a weak economy. There are many other signs of financial stress in our courthouse. Increasingly, guilty defendants ask for jail time or community service because they can't pay their fines. Meanwhile, the defendants who signed on to a payment schedule are having difficulty keeping up with the payments. Since 2008, we've seen a 29.5 percent increase in misdemeanor and infraction cases referred for collections from the North District. It is also obvious in family law cases that the parties.

From the Daily News (no link for some reason):

And with a rise in foreclosures, evictions, debts and divorces, judges say an increasing number of attorneys are suing their clients for not paying their fees. And guilty defendants are asking for jail time or community service because they can't pay their fines. All this was happening before Superior Court Presiding Judge Charles W. "Tim" McCoy announced this past week the layoffs of 329 employees and the closure of 17 courtrooms due to an unprecedented $79 million shortfall.

Already, the backup is building to pay parking tickets, file for divorce, and deal with child custody issues.

Without a properly functioning court system, Department of Children and Family Services social worker Marissa Cathy Ruiz said, children and families will suffer and victims of domestic violence will have a harder time obtaining restraining orders. "It's going to create chaos and put victims at risk," Ruiz said. Meanwhile, the time it takes to go to trial on civil lawsuits is expected to increase from 16 months to nearly five years, according to the report.