SACRAMENTO — The Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) today announced its support of the six state budget-implementing propositions on the May 19 statewide special election ballot.
“Passing this set of measures is critical to building the confidence essential to California’s economic recovery and to keeping lawmakers working forward on continuing difficult government finance problems,” said CJAC President John H. Sullivan.
“From our Civil Justice Association’s particular perspective, passage of Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F is extremely important to our court system’s capacity to resolve disputes of all kinds that affect commerce and individuals in their daily lives,” he said.
“Our association’s members especially depend on a civil justice system able to handle complex matters in a timely way that lets all parties get back to producing products, providing services, and — at the bottom line — protecting and restoring jobs.”
Sullivan said CJAC has supported adding more judges to trial courts around the state but that these proposals from the judiciary have been endorsed by the Legislature and Governor but not funded as they need to be.
He noted that California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron George summarized the fundamental importance of adequately-funded courts in his March 10 “State of the Judiciary” address to the Legislature: “We threaten one of the foundations of the administration of justice if we cannot ensure that civil litigants will receive their day in court in a timely manner.”
Although CJAC seldom takes positions on issues outside the civil litigation arena, Sullivan said the importance of the May 19 propositions to restoring economic strength and the implications for a well-functioning court system call for strong support of the Governor and Legislature’s agreed-upon budget solution.
Contact: John H. Sullivan
916-443-4900, sullivan@cjac.org