Even Supreme Court feels budget crunch

The Ohio Supreme Court and state judiciary's operating budget represents less than 0.5 percent of the total budget, but even this branch of government is feeling the squeeze.

With the 2009 budget year facing a $640 million shortfall, Chief Justice Thomas Moyer promised to tighten the judiciary's belt after doing so in previous years.

"Through careful stewardship of the public funds entrusted to us, we have already made significant reductions, and we are working now to identify other ways we can do our part to address the budgetary challenges Ohio faces,” Moyer said in a statement.

For the current biennial budget the court said it cut $3.15 million and $8.3 million for the 2006-2007 budget.

The Supreme Court and judiciary's budget is $139.9 million for 2009. "More than 60 percent of the Supreme Court and Judiciary general revenue budget is nondiscretionary because it goes to pay judges’ salaries, which are set by statute," the court said.