Courts protest 19-percent budget cut

The CNMI Judiciary has protested the 18.78-percent budget reduction recommended by the Office of Management and Budget for the judicial branch of government.

Acting Chief Justice Alexandro C. Castro and Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja told special assistant for management and budget Antonio S. Muna in a Feb. 9 letter that a 7.3-percent reduction was justified in view of the decrease in the government’s projected revenues from $213 million to $198.5 million.

“The decrease in projected revenues is the appropriate consideration when issuing the ‘proportional’ budget cuts,” Castro and Naraja said.

But the additional 11.48-percent cut appeared “disproportionate” and would handicap the Judiciary, they said.

“While the government must share in the responsibility to ensure uninterrupted services, we must ensure these efforts are done within the parameters of the legal framework now in place. Essential services must not be compromised in the process. We therefore respectfully request your office to reinstate the 11.48-percent cut in the Judiciary’s budget,” Castro and Naraja said.

In a separate letter to the Legislature dated Feb. 21, Castro said that the Judiciary had re-examined its operations and identified areas where cost reduction may be done.

However, Castro said the judicial branch may cut its budget by only 7.08 percent.

Public Law 13-24, the last enacted budget law, gave the Judiciary a budget of $5.05 million. Specifically, the budget law allocated $1.6 million to the Supreme Court, $3.14 million to the Superior Court, and $312,222 to the Law Revision Commission.

Originally, the Judiciary submitted a budget request of approximately $9 million for fiscal year 2006. The request covered increase in personnel, “within grade increase” for civil service employees, and maintenance costs of the courthouses.

Castro said the courts have now eliminated the proposed spending increases and started to operate “on a bare bones basis.”

Furthermore, in compliance with the governor’s call for a budget revision, the courts now offer to reduce its budget to $4.69 million.

Under the revised budget, the Supreme Court will have $1.49 million, the Superior Court $2.91 million, and the Law Revision Commission $290,117.

But Castro stressed that the Judiciary could take no more cuts after this.

“In these difficult times, the Judiciary stands ready to assist, in any way possible, the other two branches as we strive to resolve the budgetary crisis. Please bear in mind, however, that any further cuts to the Judiciary’s skeleton budget will effectively shut down the delivery of judicial services on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. This will in turn frustrate any attempt by the administration to attract new business and investors to our Commonwealth,” the justice said.