2023 Condition of the Judiciary

​Audio version
On Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. in the House Chambers, Chief Justice Susan Christensen of the Iowa Supreme Court addressed a joint convention of the General Assembly on the Condition of the Judiciary. This year her theme was listening. She covered topics including the court reporter shortage, contract attorney scarcity, the Juvenile Justice Task Force, her collaboration on statewide listening sessions with Iowa Department of Health and Human Resources Director Kelly Garcia, the Parent Partner Program, and attorney wellness. Here are excerpts from her address:

Court reporter shortage:
“We know how the court reporter crisis affects every aspect of the judicial process and we are committed to making it better. I hope to come back next year with proposed solutions to this crisis from the newly formed Court Reporter Utilization Committee made up of judges, court reporters and judicial staff.”

Contract attorney scarcity:
“Iowa has nearly 10,000 licensed attorneys in active status. Almost half of those attorneys are engaged in the practice of law full time. And how many of those almost 5,000 full-time, active attorneys represent indigent criminal defendants? Less than 600. That means only 12% percent of the almost 5,000 full-time, active attorneys are representing indigent criminal defendants.”
“While not part of our budget, the judicial branch supports efforts to increase funding for indigent defense. This bold statement is based upon what attorneys and judges are consistently reporting across the state: One, the hourly rate should be raised if we expect attorneys to forego other work when they have significant student loans and living expenses to pay. And two, if we want attorneys to travel to represent clients in several different counties, they should be reimbursed for their travel time.”

Attorney wellness:
“According to the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, Iowa ranks 2nd in the country for excessive drinking. And deaths due to drug overdose hit a record high in 2021. Attorneys are not exempt from experiencing substance abuse or mental health issues. According to the Iowa Lawyer Assistance Program, lawyers abuse alcohol at a 50-80% higher rate than the general population. And many disciplinary cases involve impaired lawyers. In the most extreme cases, the supreme court may revoke the law license of impaired lawyers.”
“. . . encourage any Iowan, especially lawyers, to seek help for substance abuse or mental health treatment.”
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A full version of the 2023 Condition of the Judiciary is available here.