RALLY TO SAVE THE COURTS

On Thursday, March 14, 2013, a RALLY TO SAVE OUR COURTS will be held in Los Angeles at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 11am to protest the closing of 8 - 10 courthouses in the Los Angeles County Superior Courts.  A mock trial will be held as part of the presentation. Unfortunately the most impacted residents are not aware of how these budget cuts will dramatically affect their lives in a negative manner, until access to justice for everyone is denied or extremely curtailed when needed most. Centralizing the court services to the downtown Stanley Mosk courthouse for probate and personal injury actions will cause severe disruption in the lives of the very persons most needy. Court reporters in civil cases will not be available.  Closing neighborhood district courts will cause litigants to travel to distant courthouses. Court staff will be reduced and lines at filing windows, service windows, and self-help centers will be longer.  Judges and administrators have limited alternatives to make up the budget shortfalls crippling the Courts. Legislators have made tough decisions by cutting the Courts by approximately 30% even though the portion of the budget for Courts is very small.  Community awareness is key to preventing major irreparable harm to the Court system as we know it.