news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Guilford County’s Chief District Court Judge is warning that state budget shortfalls may cause a session of civil court per week to be closed.

In a letter sent to attorneys on Monday, Judge Joseph Turner warned that cases will likely be delayed and court scheduling will become unpredictable as overbooked judges try to hear as many cases as possible.

The warning of possible closures was provoked by a notice Turner got from the Administrative Office of the Courts that the state could no longer fund “emergency judges,” something Guilford depends on to cope with an overload of cases.

"We will try to cover many of the regular sessions of court by shifting judges in and out of courts without regard to the printed schedule," Turner wrote. "There may be days when three different judges are needed to cover one courtroom – each at a 'free' period of time in their regularly assigned courtroom. When we are unable to cover a court altogether, we will be forced to suspend the operation of one or more of our courts. Unfortunately, this will most often fall on the civil courts."