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The Maryland Court of Appeals is expected to decide today what state judges will do in order to help balance the state’s budget.

Governor Martin O’Malley had previously ordered furloughs for other state employees, but Maryland’s highest ranking judge, Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Bell, said that ordering judges to take a furlough is against the law.

Chief Judge Bell himself joined O’Malley in ordering a furloughs. He made it mandated for other state court employees, by ordering courts closed last Friday Dec. 26 and this Friday Jan. 2.

As noted because of the state law Judge Bell can only ask his colleagues on the bench to take less paid time off.

In case you don’t know what a furlough is, it’s a leave of absence granted to workers. In this case workers take unpaid leave. If state workers don’t show up to work, the state doesn’t have to pay them.

For judges since the judge says their salaries can’t be decreased, the Court of Appeals could ask them to take less paid leave. This would increase the number of days state judges must working, in effect decreasing vacation or sick days. Instead of 27 days, Bell’s asking judges to agree to only take 22 days off in 2009.

Judge Bell and others haven’t said what the anticipated effects will be aside from asking judges to work more.

Could the anticipated effects be more expedient trials and court proceedings?

Could it mean a more vigilant court system?

I guess we’ll see what less vacation judges does to keep order in the court.

Do you think judges should take less paid leave?

Is there someone else in state government you think should be doing more?

How do you suggest the state balance it’s budget?

Talk to me, weigh in, and comment below.

Update: The Court of Appeals approved a move to reduce the number of vacation days for the state’s 285 active judges. The state is expected to save around $600,000 because they will not have to often call on retired judges to handle cases.

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