BISMARCK - A Senate panel has given the first blessing to three additional North Dakota district judges.
The Senate Judiciary Committee's unanimous vote Tuesday for Senate Bill 2121 is the first step in a long process that will play out well into the session.
North Dakota Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle has asked for new judgeships in the Southeast and Northwest judicial districts for the 2009-11 biennium, and wants lawmakers to approve adding a third during 2011-13, which would be based in Fargo.
The extra money needed for the first two judges and their support staff will total $875,000 for the next two years.
VandeWalle said workload among the 42 district judges has shown for several years that more judges are warranted. When the Legislature reorganized the state's court system in the 1990s, it forced the Supreme Court to trim the number of judges from 53 to 42.
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After the cuts, North Dakota brought in the National Center for State Courts to create a weighted caseload system, which is used annually to look at judicial workload.
The bill will now go to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. Inforum searchword: Courts and crime Cole works for Forum Communications Co., which owns The Forum. She can be reached at (701) 224-0830 or forumcap@btinet.net
