The Legislature is going to take the first hard look in years at the efficency of our court system. Six legislators and three judges are on the special committee that will analyze how well the state’s 45 circuit courtsystems, the appellate courts, and the Supreme Court operate on the $160-Million the state will spend on them this year. Senator Matt Bartle of Lee’s Summit says some areas of the state have more judges than is necessary, and some areas without enough judge to handle the caseload.He admits he is confused about who works for the courts and who works for the counties in our court system. Bartle knows the study could create some turf fights if judicial circuits are realigned. He knows that some recommendations might be handled with changes in the law, some mightrequire changes in the constitution, and some might be too controversial to resolve at all. The Committee will identify problems and which category they’re in for the next legislative session.
