Have you been to Denver District Court recently? If everyone seemed much more overburdened than usual, you’re not imagining it: they are. The budget cuts are being felt by us all now and the effects are compelling.

When the February Docket went to press, we did not know what would happen with Chief Justice Mullarkey’s request to increase filing fees. Since then, the House and the Senate passed a comprehensive budget for this fiscal year that included the increase in fees. At this writing, it is still sitting on the Governor’s desk. Meetings of the Joint Budget Committee are ongoing concerning how to handle these issues for this fiscal year as well as next. The future of the courts as we know them may hang in the balance.

Please pay close attention to what is happening in our legislature and to what extent our courts will be affected by the budget cuts. If you have an opinion, please call your elected Representative or Senator and let your views be known.