Middle Class Joining The Poor In Inability To Find Affordable Legal Help, Says Iowa Chief Justice

In Des Moines, Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports:

• Iowa’s state courts face higher costs, greater language barriers, a bare-bones workforce and more needs for low-income residents as they strive to ensure justice, the state’s top judge said [last week]. Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus acknowledged the state’s budget problems in her annual address to lawmakers and promised to reduce operating costs as the courts continue to serve Iowans.

One of the serious challenges for Iowa’s courts, as outlined by Justice Ternus, is:

• A growing number of Iowans have unmet needs in civil court because they cannot afford a lawyer, Ternus said. The problem lacks a simple solution, she said, but will probably require a combination of government aid and help from the legal community. “We have long recognized that the cost of legal representation is beyond the reach of the poor, but it is now often beyond the reach of the middle class,” Ternus said. “The end result: we have equal justice for some, but certainly not for all.”

• Ternus asked lawmakers to maintain current funding levels for legal organizations that serve low-income Iowans, which she said are more important than ever as the economy staggers.

For more, see Chief Justice: Iowa courts stretched 'painfully thin.'