COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court will eliminate two programs aimed at relieving crowded court dockets, both victims of a tight state budget.

        To slash $1.8 million in spending for the fiscal year that began Sunday, the Supreme Court will cut $500,000 from the fund that pays visiting judges and save $600,000 by eliminating eight out-of-court mediation programs, a Columbus newspaper reported Sunday.

        While state funding for the court will increase during the next two years, it is almost $9 million less than the court wanted.

        Chief Justice Thomas Moyer informed the court's six other justices of the spending cuts June 20, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

        Sources told the newspaper some justices suspected the cuts were made by legislators angered by two Supreme Court rulings that found the state's school funding system unconstitutional.

        “That's ridiculous,” said Jennifer Detwiler, spokeswoman for House Speaker Larry Householder, a Glenford Republican. “They are no different than any other agency that didn't get everything they wanted in the budget.”

        The Supreme Court asked Gov. Bob Taft and the Legislature for $101.7 million this year and $107.6 million next year. The court received $97.5 million for this year and $103.1 million for next year.

        As a result, civil and family mediation programs will be cut from common pleas courts in Belmont, Columbiana, Logan, Morrow, Ross, Sandusky and Wood counties, and a juvenile court in Sandusky County.

        The Supreme Court had hoped to establish mediation programs in all 88 Ohio counties by 2005.

        “Obviously, the mediation aspect is critical,” said Jay Wuebbold, a spokesman for Mr. Moyer. “The court hated to take that move. Moyer has been committed for some time to having mediation available in all the common pleas courts in the state. So it's a setback. It certainly is in no way the end. It's simply on hold. It's not over.”

        Under the mediation program, the courts planned to hire full-time mediators and support staff to assist disputing parties reach settlements through negotiations outside of traditional court proceedings.

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