There's just no justice.
You hear people say that every now and again, but when we're talking about one local issue, perhaps there shouldn't be any justice.
Do all of the towns and villages in Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie and Chenango counties really need their own justices?
Our state's Special Commission on the Future of the New York Courts is recommending the consolidation of local justice courts, better security and other improvements to court facilities, minimum requirements to become a justice, more training for justices and increased funding for courts.
The commission can't remove any justices on its own, but it is recommending that the state Legislature act to reduce the number of justices.
The group's idea we like most is its suggestion that every county set up a panel to discuss implementing changes on the local level.
It's not a directive, and no one is saying any of our towns has to lose its local hegemony over legal matters. It's only a recommendation to look into whether the present system best serves our taxpayers, and that's something counties should be doing, anyway.
"It is our hope that this study paves the way for significant reform and improvement of these historic courts, by moving us beyond the old debate between those who urge that the justice courts be abolished and those who argue that they should be left alone," said commission Chairman Carey R. Dunne when the recommendations were released last month.
Some courts may only be dealing with 10 or fewer cases a year. Others are far busier.
One of the commission's recommendations is a minimum standard for a judge or justice. It suggests that judges be at least 25 years old and have a minimum of a two-year college degree.
We're not certain a person with a two-year degree necessarily possesses more wisdom than a high school graduate with valuable life experience, but it's certainly worth talking about.
Unlike the judges in county and state courts, town and village justices do not have to be lawyers. And the majority of them aren't, according to the commission's report.
Most justices don't make a whole lot of money, perhaps only a few thousand dollars a year, and many perform valuable public services for their communities.
But in addition to concerns over political and other prejudicial influence on justices, there are financial factors. Taking defendants from county jails to court appearances all over the county can be a major expense.
Perhaps consolidation can help deal with those problems, perhaps not. Meanwhile, the commission's suggestions absolutely deserve to be considered.
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