House Journal: Page 60: Wednesday, January 10, 1996

 the case had to be continued because the judges were too busy
on other matters.  Imagine the strain on the parents and the
children.  The case is scheduled again to be heard this month. 
I certainly hope that it can be.

What can we do to reduce some of this enormous burden and still
provide the public with an appropriate method for resolving
disputes?

Alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, is one way to
reduce our civil caseload.  According to the survey which I
mentioned earlier, this is favored by most Iowans.

This past year we've been working with our judicial districts
and private providers to furnish mediation services around the
state.  Many of our busiest courts now offer small claims
mediation.  Mediation of personal injury cases appears to be
growing rapidly.

Mediation of family law cases is not catching on as much as we'd
like it to.  We don't know why.  Educating people on the value
of mediation in these cases should help.  We've sponsored, with
the help of other groups, many training programs on the use of
mediation in family law cases.  We hope this training promotes
mediation and encourages people to try it.

Two new family law mediation projects are underway thanks to
grants from the court's technology fund, which you provided to
us two years ago.  The Johnson County Bar Association and the
Sixth Judicial District have teamed up to start a court-annexed
family mediation program.  The Second judicial District and the
Center for Creative Justice in Ames are working together on a
child custody and visitation mediation project to divert
modification of custody claims from the courts.

Whether mediation will make a noticeable difference in our
caseload remains to been seen.  However, any progress we make on
the civil side is overshadowed by the relentless growth in
criminal, domestic abuse and juvenile cases.

Breaking the back of crime, protecting victims of domestic
abuse, and turning around the lives of troubled children are
high on your agenda.  We share your concerns and our courts
wrestle with these issues daily.  But right now, these cases
have us in a "choke-hold" with little time left for other
important cases.
I want to commend our judges and staff.  They're working their
hardest, with the aid of technology and innovative programs, to
handle the constant barrage of cases.  However, we need your
continued support.

As long as the unprecedented demand for court services
continues, we'll need more judges, more staff and more support. 
Our specific budget needs and recommendations are contained in
our budget request which we have submitted to you.

In addition, adequate compensation to attract and retain good
judges shores up the strength of our operations.  Our judges
were heartened last year by your attempt to meaningfully respond
to the recommendations of the judicial compensation commission. 
We hope that issue will be reexamined by you this year.

You deserve and have our warmest thanks for responding to our
concerns in the past.  We must continue to work together to meet
the public's need for a fair and effective court system.

Iowa General Assembly

Index: House Journal (76th General Assembly: Session 2)

© 1996 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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