Indiana's judicial branch released its 2010 Judicial Service Report and revealed the state needs about 597 judges, but only has 441. This forces judges to work at 135%.
Chief Justice Randall Shepard says the issue of whether Indiana has enough judges for its caseload matters most to people who need to get into court in a more immediate timeframe.
“People who have a divorce or a child custody matter or some need to get injunctive relief.”
He says while the General Assembly has added about 100 judges over the last 20 years, he does not expect them to find enough money to add more judges right now.
“And that’s why we put so much time in trying to find other ways to be as time-effective as we possibly can.”
Shepard says that includes a program in which retired judges fill in where caseloads are high at reduced hourly rates and caseload plans in each county that even out work between different courts.
You can see the full 2010 Judicial Service Report HERE.
