San Francisco court budget cuts will delay divorces

By: Ari Burack | Examiner Staff Writer | 07/19/11 4:00 AM


Buried: The Superior Court’s Meredith Grier goes through paperwork from open cases. The court will have a larger backlog thanks to cuts in state funding. (Examiner file photo)

It takes at least six months to get a divorce in San Francisco, and now unhappy couples can add at least a year to that, thanks to planned budget cuts to the Superior Court.

Katherine Feinstein, the Superior Court’s presiding judge, gave a dire outlook to reporters at a Monday news conference, reiterating the court’s plan to lay off 200 employees and close 25 courtrooms in late September.

The budget recently approved by Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature sliced hundreds of millions of dollars from state courts. San Francisco is facing a $13.75 million deficit, or 15.6 percent of its operating budget.

“We’re left with one painful, unprecedented option, which is a reduction in service that is so severe that it will, for all practical purposes, dismantle our court,â€