Chief Justice of Kentucky John Minton has announced cost-cutting measures to the Judicial Branch, due to the impact of COVID-19 in the state.
According to a news release, the Judicial Branch intends to reduce expenses presently to help offset potential furloughs or lay-offs in the coming months due to drops in state revenue. Chief Justice Minton announced Thursday that that the court system will implement a statewide hiring freeze and suspend all out-of-state travel, effective immediately. Travel exceptions might be granted if the travel is paid for with federal funds or by an outside agency, though all trips must meet health requirement standards.
Chief Justice Minton says, “Over the last two months, our primary focus has been on modifying court operations in a way that would ensure social distancing while allowing us to provide essential court services. Now we must turn our attention to the financial impact COVID-19 is having on the economy.”
He says the one-year budget for the Judicial Branch passed by the General Assembly—while better than expected—does not fully fund court operations and he expects the branch will be asked to return funding this fiscal year due to a major drop in state revenues.