The Los Angeles County Superior Court says it will have to eliminate 511 jobs by late June as part of a sweeping effort to cut its budget by $85 million.
Presiding Judge David Wesley said this week that with those cuts, the nation's largest trial court system will have lost 24 percent of its employees over the last four years.
Officials say state funding cuts over the last several years has forced the court to reduce its annual spending by $110 million.
The court says it also plans to close eight regional courthouses and eliminate its alternative dispute center, which provides arbitration, mediation and settlement conference as an option to litigation.
Wesley said the cuts will result in long lines and travel distances that may deter people from seeking and getting the justice they deserve.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of court patrons seeks to prevent the cuts, saying they will negatively affect disable people who need court services. Those who have to travel prohibitively far distances are part of the lawsuit.
Eviction cases, now heard in 23 courts, will only be heard in five locations after the cuts, an attorney for the plaintiffs said.
