Maine Supreme Court Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill said more must be done to address a backlog of court cases and a shortage of attorneys for defendants who cannot afford legal representation.
In her annual State of the Judiciary address to the legislature today, Stanfill cited the fact that at the end of last year, there were more than 1,000 pending cases without counsel assigned to them.
"And the availability of lawyers, legal advice and legal representation is increasingly a pipe dream for many of our citizens," she said.
Although work is underway to address the issue, Stanfill said there is still more to be done, and changes must be made quickly.
She said criminal cases are still up 35% from pre-pandemic levels.
Even with a projected budget shortfall, Stanfill said the state legislature must prioritize funding for the judiciary.
She told lawmakers that even after raises granted in recent years, Maine's judicial salaries are still the lowest in the nation.
"You and the governor have listened in the last few years, but in these times of belt tightening it is critical that you continue to pay attention," Stanfill said. "We need to have enough people- clerks, marshals, and others- to support the judges in the courtrooms, and they need to be paid appropriately."
She added that technology is now key infrastructure for courts and must be funded as such. Stanfill said courtrooms require computers and displays to allow for remote proceedings and to display electronic evidence such as videos.
