SJC chief justice calls on governor to approve emergency funding

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

The chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court today praised the Legislature for supporting a measure to give emergency funds to the state court system, and called on Governor Deval Patrick to sign off on the plan.

‘‘We are hopeful — very hopeful — that the legislation will be enacted and that Governor Patrick will approve the appropriation,’’ said Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland, said in prepared remarks today at the John Adams Courthouse on Beacon Hill.

Ireland was the keynote speaker at the annual Bench-Bar Symposium held by the Massachusetts Bar Association.

‘‘I know we are not out of the woods,’’ Ireland said of the court system’s fiscal challenges, including a three-year hiring freeze and multiple years of budget cuts. ‘‘Fiscal year 2012, and beyond, will continue to present many challenges for the courts. Nevertheless, it takes courage in these difficult times to approve additional funding. I applaud [House] Speaker [Robert] DeLeo, [Senate] President [Therese] Murray, and hopefully Governor Patrick for their support for the courts.’’

A spokesman for Patrick declined to comment on the funding proposal tonight because it has not yet reached the governor’s desk.

Ireland told the more than 100 judges and attorneys in attendance that state lawmakers were right to pass a court management bill in August that included a provision to keep the Office of the Commissioner of Probation under the control of the judiciary.

The Probation Department has been under fire after a Globe Spotlight report exposed widespread patronage in hiring at the department, leading to the recent criminal indictment of the former commissioner and the ouster of three top aides.

‘‘The legislation [passed in August] strengthens the mechanisms of accountability and transparency,’’ Ireland said. ‘‘In implementing the legislation, and in general, the justices and I will continue to develop opportunities for frank and open discussion with our counterparts in the other branches.’’

Ireland has clashed publicly with Patrick, who appointed him last year to head the SJC, on the best way forward for the Probation Department.

The governor has voiced support for bringing probation under the control of the executive branch.

He signed the court management bill but has not changed his position on control of the department.

Today, Ireland said he looked forward to continuing discussions about the court system with the governor’s office and the Legislature.

‘‘The three branches may not always see eye to eye on what is best for the court system, but we all want the best for the people of the Commonwealth, and the groundwork for mutual trust and cooperation is strong,’’ Ireland said.

DeLeo attended the symposium and said afterward that he hopes Patrick approves the added funding for the courts.

‘‘There’s obviously a need [for the funds] for dispensing justice here in the Commonwealth,’’ DeLeo said.

Regarding the conflicting public statements that Patrick and Ireland have made in the past about probation, DeLeo said he did not think they would damage the relationship between the judiciary and the executive branches.

‘‘I think that has since been put behind both of them,’’ DeLeo said of the disagreement between the two men.

Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.