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January 2009 Vol

-SJI New

. 19, No. 4 

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SJI SUBMITS FY 2010 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS 

This month, SJI submitted its FY 2010 Budget request to the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, Science and 

Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittees. For FY 2010, SJI is requesting $5,131,000 to enhance 

its efforts to improve the quality of justice in the state courts. The request is $1,031,000 above the level 

provided in the FY 2009 House CJS Bill (H.R. 7322), and $131,000 above the level provided in the Senate CJS 

Bill (S 3182). As of January 2009, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees had approved their 

versions of the FY 2009 CJS Bill. 

While the total amount of grant funding requested was approximately the same in FY 2007 and 2008, the total 

number of grant requests increased 6 percent from FY 2007 to 2008. The demand for smaller Technical 

Assistance (TA) and Curriculum Adaptation & Training (CAT) Grants has increased in recent years. For 

example, between FY 2006 and 2008, the total number of Project Grant requests decreased by 41 percent; 

whereas the total number of TA Grant requests increased by 150 percent and the number of CAT Grant requests 

increased by 225 percent. Many state courts are experiencing significant budget issues, and do not have the 

financial or manpower resources for larger Project Grants, or the ability to meet the cash match requirements. 

However, there is state funding available to support TA and CAT grants because these grant programs only 

require a 50 percent match (as opposed to a dollar-for-dollar match for Project Grants), of which only 20 

percent must be cash match. (continued on page 2) 

New Report on Immigration 

Issues in the State Courts 2

Inside

SJI Submits FY 2010 Budget 

Request to Congress 1, 2

New Process Includes Faster 

Payments for Grants 3 

State Court Budget 

Shortfalls 3 
State court budgets are unlikely to experience any budget relief in the near future. Therefore, SJI’s FY 2010 

Budget request includes additional resources to meet the increased demand for TA and CAT Grants. The 

request also includes additional resources for the Strategic Initiatives Grants (SIG) program, so that SJI can 

continue to focus on national court issues. 

SJI remains the only source of federal funding dedicated exclusively to improving the quality of justice in state 

courts. There is a strong interest in continuing to support the state courts, since they handle over 97 percent of 

all the cases in the United States. The funding requested for FY 2010 will enable SJI to continue identifying 

issues that impact all courts, fostering innovative solutions, and sharing information on successful approaches 

nationwide. 

The FY 2010 Budget Request is available on the SJI website: 

http://www.sji.gov/PDF/FY2010_Budget_Request.pdf

NEW REPORT ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES IN THE STATE COURTS 

The Center for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) has recently released a report entitled, Addressing Immigration in 

the State Courts. The report is now available on the SJI website: 

http://www.sji.gov/PDF/Addressing_Immigration_in_the_State_Courts.pdf 

The report is also being published in the Spring 2009 issue of Court Manager (Volume 24, No. 1), and is a 

product of SJI’s Strategic Initiatives Grants (SIG) program that is focusing on immigration issues in the state 

courts. 

The report presents the initial findings of CPPS’s efforts in three pilot sites: Maricopa County Superior Court 

(Phoenix, Arizona), the 8th Judicial District in western Minnesota, and the 11th Judicial Circuit Court (MiamiDade County, Florida). The report begins by describing the size and diversity of the current legal permanent 

resident and undocumented immigrant populations in the United States, and how they compare to immigrant 

populations of the past and those projected for the future. Next, it explores the complexity of the challenges 

posed by immigration in the state courts by highlighting the numerous points of intersection between federal, 

state, and local law, policy and practice. The discussion continues on how the challenges posed by immigration 

in the state courts test fundamental notions of justice, such as equal access, equal and consistent justice, and 

judicial independence. Finally, the report provides an approach for addressing immigration in the state courts, 

and highlights some of the key actions the state courts in general, and the pilot sites specifically, are taking to 

effectively respond. 

The early experiences of the CPPS team working in the three pilot sites have revealed significant findings. SJI 

will continue to provide updates on these efforts as the project moves forward. 

Page 2 E-SJI News – Vol. 19, No. 4
   STATE COURT BUDGET SHORTFALLS 

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least 44 states are facing shortfalls in their FY 2009 

and/or FY 2010 budgets; a trend that is likely to continue into the future. In addition, the U.S. Government 

Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported to the Senate Finance Committee that, “the long-term fiscal 

challenges faced by state and local governments are exacerbated by the current recession. The magnitude of 

these challenges affects all levels of government.” The GAO goes on to conclude that its estimate of the budget 

shortfalls is consistent with those provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National 

Governors Association, and the Urban Institute. 

The state courts are facing severe budget reductions as a direct result of the current economic situation in the 

United States. For example, a recent New York Times article described how the New Hampshire courts halted 

all jury trials for a month because of the current budget crisis in that state. The Vermont judiciary closed its 

district and family courts a half day per week for the remainder of the fiscal year. In addition, The National 

Center for State Courts reports that at least 20 state court systems are currently facing budget deficits. Given 

that 90 percent of state court budgets are personnel costs, it is not surprising that courts are reducing staff; as 

evidenced in Florida where the court system recently laid off 10 percent of its workforce. 

The budget crisis in the state courts is an emerging and national issue that will be addressed by SJI’s Strategic 

Initiatives Grants (SIG) program. In fact, SJI is currently working to identify key stakeholders who have a 

direct interest in state court budgets. The GAO report points out that the recession is contributing to declining 

state and local revenues, while the demand for state and local services is increasing; many of which are 

provided to disadvantaged populations. Acknowledging this fact, SJI plans to assist state courts that need help 

determining how best to maintain access to justice while reducing costs. 

The following are website links to the reports cited in this article: 

http://www.cbpp.org/9-8-08sfp.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/09court.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=jury%20trials&st=cse

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09320r.pdf

NEW PROCESS INCLUDES FASTER PAYMENTS FOR GRANTS 

Beginning in FY 2009, SJI contracted a significant portion of its financial processes to the General Services 

Administration (GSA). This includes payments for awarded grants and scholarships. SJI will no longer issue 

checks directly; rather, electronic fund transfers (EFTs) or hard checks will be issued directly from the U.S. 

Treasury. Current and future grantees and scholarship recipients are strongly encouraged to receive payments 

via EFT. This is a faster method of receiving payment from SJI. To participate in EFT, a completed SF 3881-

Automated Clearing House (ACH)/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form must be submitted to SJI. 

The form is available on the SJI website: http://www.sji.gov/PDF/Forms/ACH-Form_SF-3881.pdf. 

Page 3 E-SJI News – Vol. 19, No. 4
Board of Directors

Chairman

Robert A. Miller 

Chief Justice (Ret.) 

Supreme Court of South Dakota 

Pierre, SD 

Vice Chairman

Joseph F. Baca 

Chief Justice (Ret.) 

New Mexico Supreme Court 

Santa Fe, NM 

Secretary

Sandra A. O’Connor 

States Attorney of Baltimore 

County (Ret.) 

Towson, MD 

Executive Committee Member

Keith McNamara, Esq. 

McNamara & McNamara 

Columbus, OH 

Terrence B. Adamson, Esq. 

Executive Vice-President 

The National Geographic Society 

Robert N. Baldwin 

Executive Vice President and 

General Counsel 

National Center for State Courts 

Carlos R. Garza, Esq. 

Administrative Judge (Ret.) 

Round Rock, TX 

Sophia H. Hall 

Administrative Presiding Judge 

Circuit Court of Cook County 

Chicago, IL 

Tommy Jewell 

Presiding Children’s Court Judge 

(Ret.) 

Second Judicial District Court 

Albuquerque, NM 

Arthur A. McGiverin 

Chief Justice (Ret.) 

Supreme Court of Iowa 

Des Moines, IA 

Janice Munsterman 

Executive Director 

Jonathan Mattiello 

Deputy Director 

The State Justice Institute is a 

private, non-profit corporation 

established by Federal law in 1984 

to improve the quality of justice in 

state courts, and foster innovative, 

efficient solutions to common 

issues faced by all courts. SJI is 

governed by a Board of Directors 

appointed by the President and 

confirmed by the Senate. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 

3⁄4 Next grant and scholarship application deadline: May 1, 2009 (3rd

Quarter, FY 2009). 

3⁄4 The FY 2009 SJI Grant Guideline is available on the SJI website. 

3⁄4 All SJI forms are available on the website under the following tab: 

http://www.sji.gov/forms.php. 

 

 

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