Chief Justice Marshall highlights “turbulent” budget challenges in “Annual Address” at Bench-Bar Symposium
n her “Annual Address to the Legal Community,” Supreme Judicial Court
Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall warned that the “turbulent” national
and state financial crisis requires “drastic” cuts in the state’s court
system.
Speaking at the Massachusetts Bar Association’s third annual Bench-Bar
Symposium at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston on Oct. 22, Marshall
told the audience of more than 100 people that she and other court
officials had identified millions of dollars in cuts. While they were
able to avoid layoffs and furloughs, the cuts have led to an
across-the-board hiring freeze; travel restrictions and other
cost-cutting measures have also been made, she said.