Council calls for restoring consolidated court costs to offset inflation and funds for new‑judge training

The Judicial Council adopted recommendations asking the Legislature to restore consolidated court costs to their inflation‑adjusted value so the statutory distribution of fee funds preserves intended services, and to use general revenue to pay for initial training for new judges and key court personnel rather than fully funding that training through the consolidated fee pool.

Committee members said inflation has eroded the real value of fixed dollar‑amount consolidated fees and that restoring purchasing power would protect judicial training and other statutory purposes funded from those fees. The council discussed coordination with other appropriations requests; a council member said the LAR request on fees seeks a 7% increase, and members emphasized care in handling the consolidated fund because it covers multiple wedges of spending. The council approved the recommendations and will coordinate LAR efforts with OCA and legislative staff.

Why it matters: Restoring fee levels aims to ensure statutorily funded programs (including training) remain viable without re‑allocating existing wedges; shifting initial training costs to general revenue would reduce the burden on court fee revenue.