State's judicial branch implements hiring freeze

The state's judicial branch implemented a hiring freeze Friday.

Whether it will affect three judges that are scheduled to be hired next year in the 4th Judicial District, which includes El Paso and Teller counties, is unknown, said Rob McCallum, spokesman for the State Court Administrator's office.

"That would be serious speculation," McCallum said. "No one has a good grasp on how long the freeze might be in place."

This week, District Attorney John Newsome used the new judge positions - two district court judges and an El Paso County Court judge - to ask County Commissioners for a $1.7 million increase in 2009 from the $9.8 million his office got this year.

For the two new district court judges assigned here, Newsome said he'll have to hire five attorneys, an investigator, a paralegal, a victim advocate, a legal secretary, information technology workers and evidence technicians.

Legislators approved the judge positions for the state's 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2009.

The judicial branch joins the state's executive and legislative branches with a hiring freeze.

McCallum could not estimate Friday how many open positions are affected by the freeze.

The judicial branch accounts for about 3 percent of the state's total budget, McCallum said.

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Contact the writer: dennis.huspeni@gazette.com or 636-0110.