Judge says justice will be served despite cuts

The state court system has taken strong steps to cut back on spending, but court officials will not skimp on one thing: The core mission of meting out justice, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall said yesterday .

"Our courts have weathered economic distress before," Marshall said in remarks prepared for her annual address to the Massachusetts Bar Association. "We must, and we shall, manage our way through this current crisis.

"The cruel irony is that in difficult economic times the demands on our courts intensify," she said. "More people file for divorce or to modify support obligations. The criminal docket swells; foreclosures, evictions, and debt collection matters escalate. We are committed to shouldering our fair share of budget cuts while safeguarding the essential functions necessary to maintain our mission and constitutional imperatives."

To help Governor Deval Patrick close a massive budget gap, the courts have promised to cut $33 million through tougher restrictions on travel, a hiring freeze, and other cost-saving measures.

Marshall, who heads the court system, said officials took actions after meeting with Patrick Oct. 1.

"The governor's request was urgent," she said. "His deadline breathtakingly short, as befits the circumstances. We stepped up to do our part; we made a commitment to bear our equitable share of the heavy burden that will ultimately fall on all residents of the Commonwealth."