The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court is asking legislators for a nearly 10 percent increase for the state courts’ budgetChief Justice Louis Lavorato delivered his “Condition of the Judiciary” speech to legislators and the governor this morning, and told them “band aids” and “quick fixes” won’t work anymore.Lavorato is asking for four-million dollars to boost the pay of judges and other court officials, and another 700-thousand dollars to buy new stuff for the Judicial Branch’s new building in Des Moines. Lavorato made a series of budget-cutting proposals, too. for what he called “gloomy times.” He says they face many challenges, with the greatest challenge is meeting the constitutional duty to the state despite the budget crisis. Lavorato says the challenges are not insurmountable. House Republican Leader Chuck Gipp of Decorah says the court will be lucky to get any increase in its budget as the overall state budget will be very tight.
