Courts first furlough on Friday

The 6th Judicial District Courts, along with the other Iowa district courts, the Iowa Court of Appeals and the Iowa Supreme Court, will be closed Friday.

Friday is the first of the 10 furlough days scheduled as part of an $11.4 million cut in the judicial branch's operating expenses to help alleviate the state's financial crisis. All court personnel including judges and magistrates are required to take unpaid leave on these days. The judicial branch also cut workforce last month by 9.3 percent which included 105 layoffs, the elimination of 100 vacant staff positions and reduced hours for 58 employees.

Linn County alone lost 10.5 employees of the total 12 cut in the 6th Judicial District. The 12 included court clerks, court attendants, court reporters, court administration and Juvenile Court staff.

Jones County lost 1.5 employees, and the other counties in the district didn't have any layoffs because of 10 vacancies in all five counties that won't be filled. Three employees also had their hours reduced.

Iowa Supreme Court Justice Marsha Ternus said the closures will unavoidably hurt public access to the courts. There will likely be longer delays in cases and fewer court services. The clerk's offices will also close early to the public every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 p.m. starting Dec. 15.

Ternus said some judges and magistrates will only be available to handle “emergency matters” on the furlough days. In a supervisory order, Ternus defines emergency matters as those involving mental health, substance abuse, domestic abuse, criminal warrants and certain juvenile orders.

The court will allow any litigant facing a deadline filing on a furlough day to file their cases or documents the next day the courts are open. The remaining furlough days are set for Dec. 24 and 31, Jan. 15, Feb. 15, March 12 and 26, April 2, May 28, and June 18.