Politics & Government
Not Enough Judges To Handle Worcester Juvenile Court Case Pile
Local legislators signed a letter to the Governor asking for two empty judge positions to be filled soon to avoid a bigger case backlog.
WORCESTER, MA- The Worcester County Juvenile Court is the busiest juvenile court in the state and has one of the highest caseloads in the Commonwealth with a backlog to match. The court has just four permanent judges on the roster, with a circuit court judge helping take cases as well.
The number of judges was supposed to be increased to six after language to add one judge was signed as part of the outside section to the fiscal 2019 budget in July, with one being a designated circuit court justice. That seat has yet to be filled and early in February, one of the Juvenile Court associate justices, George F. Leary, retired.
Local legislatures who pushed for the amendment for additional judges took action again, signing and sending a letter to Governor Baker urging him to find a way to fill the seats as quickly as possible.
Sen. Michael O. Moore, D-Millbury, sent the letter around to other area legislators and got 21 signatures. The letter characterized the backlog of cases as a crisis situation, citing the 56 new cases that are filed each month- a 40 percent increase in cases since fiscal year 2012, according to the letter.
Sen. Moore said he's seen the backlog of cases on a personal level, when a family member tried to adopt a child. "The case was brought to a delay because of the backlog," he said. The slow moving process to fill the judges seats is not helping, "The issue is being compounded," Sen. Moore said.
Worcester County Juvenile Court has over 1,349 open cases of child abuse and neglect and 246 children sitting in foster care awaiting permanent homes, according to the letter. Those children in foster care are left waiting until termination of parental rights trials can be pushed through.
The senator said Worcester County has one of the highest number of child abuse cases in the state and the increased number of cases in the Juvenile Court could be related to a county-wide population increase. "The influx in care and protection orders being filed, coupled with the change in jurisdiction concerning 17-year-olds and harassment cases has stretched the judicial resources of Worcester County," the letter reads.
Sen. Moore said he is still awaiting a response from the Governor's office but hopes the positions can be filled in a timely manner.
