NC court resume payments to emergency judges

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s courts are again paying judges who fill in during an emergency.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported that the Administrative Office of the Courts has resumed $400-a-day payments to emergency judges after they stopped several weeks ago due to budget cutbacks.

Office spokeswoman Sharon Gladwell said the court system found enough money to pay retired and current judges who serve when a regular judge is sick, has a family emergency or conflict of interest. She said it’s possible payments could be suspended again.

Dozens of retired judges had kept filling in for free.

Office director John Smith suspended emergency judge pay in April because of budget belt-tightening. They resumed briefly in August but were stopped again when Gov. Beverly Perdue held back funds.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)