AUGUSTA – If the courts must cut spending by 5 percent, a possibility raised by Democratic leaders of the Legislature, Chief Justice Leigh Saufley says she will be forced to close courts and lay off court staff, mostly in rural Maine.

“I will tell you, this feels like cutting the football team because it will reduce access to justice in rural Maine,” Saufley said. “I certainly am not proposing these cuts.”

All state agencies were asked this week by Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, and House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick, to identify how they would achieve the goal of cutting 5 percent of the state budget. That level of cut would generate enough savings to eliminate a controversial borrowing portion of the recently passed two-year state budget.

At a meeting with members of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee Tuesday to explain her supplemental budget request, Saufley found herself explaining what a 5 percent cut would do to the judicial branch of government.

Saufley protested that any budget reduction would seriously hurt the ability of Mainers to achieve justice.

“There are some areas of our budget that we simply can’t cut,” Saufley said, citing as an example about $12 million for court-appointed counsel, services which are required under the state constitution. The constitution also prevents her from reducing a judge’s pay in an effort to reduce the court system’s proposed $56.5 million budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

“So that means more of an impact (in other areas) than an across the board cut,” she stressed. Prefacing her presentation of where forced cuts might be made, Saufley said, “Let me make it clear from the outset that I don’t like or support any of these ideas.”

The chief justice said the most likely plan would involve closing smaller courts with the least caseloads and consolidating services into larger courts. She said to reach a goal of $3 million a year in cuts would require closing about 10 of the state’s 40 courthouses and laying off 40 to 45 court workers.

Particularly hard hit, she said, would be rural areas of the state. For example, it is likely either the Lincoln or Millinocket District Courts would be closed, with residents required to travel “a considerable” distance to the court that remains open.

“We have five district courts in Aroostook,” she said. “I think we will have to look at closing two or three courthouses to meet this level of cuts.”

Members of the committee expressed concern over the impact the cuts would have in a number of areas, from domestic violence to reduced revenue from court activity. Rep. Roger Sherman, R-Hodgdon, was worried about the additional distances Mainers in rural areas of the state would have to travel to get to a court. He said many already are traveling many miles to a court.

Sen. Barry Hobbins, D-Saco, co-chair of the committee, said the cuts could end up costing the state treasury in other ways. He said police officers would have to travel further to get to court to testify as will others, such as social workers.

“I can see greater costs and fewer cases,” he said. “Fewer cases could also mean less revenue from fines.”

Hobbins asked Saufley to prepare an estimate on potential lost revenue from having fewer courthouses and fewer court workers to process cases.

Rep. Deborah Pelletier-Simpson, D-Auburn, said the courts are woefully under-funded and further cuts are not warranted. She wondered how much longer lawyers will be willing to take cases as court-appointed counsel when the fee does not even cover expenses.

“I was struck by the $50 an hour for lawyers,” she said. “I know my lawyer won’t work for less than $175 an hour.”

A detailed report on how the courts would meet the 5 percent cut level is due next week. Saufley said whatever options she has explored so far to meet the spending goal would result in what she considers an unacceptable reduction in services to the public.