Legal News

Courts score wins in new California budget

By Richard Binder

After five round-the-clock days of legislative horse trading and stalemates, California's judicial leaders scored two key political victories Thursday as state lawmakers finally closed a $40 billion budget deficit.

Among the three-dozen bills legislators sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk to handle the shortfall was language that lets counties continue paying extra benefits to local judges. Proponents say that bill effectively overturns a 4th District ruling from October finding that only the state, not counties, can set compensation levels for judges.

Judicial Council leaders also secured authorization to build or rehabilitate 41 courthouses with $5 billion in bond money. The authority was stripped during last year's budget process after Assembly Republicans balked.

Neither bill is directly linked to the state's budget. Many of the three-dozen bills -- including some dealing with horse racing, state office furniture and election law -- were not. But legislative leaders said they were needed, either to stimulate the economy or attract enough Republican votes to garner a two-thirds majority approval for $12.5 billion in tax increases.

Read the full story at The Recorder.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on February 20, 2009 (boomark / email).