North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby issued a statement Wednesday praising General Assembly lawmakers for proposing robust investments in the Judicial Branch.

Chief Justice Newby urged lawmakers and the Governor to pass the proposed budget into law as soon as possible:

“I am grateful to the General Assembly for funding over 150 new constituent service positions in the Judicial Branch while building on top of generous pay raises already provided to our employees. The funding appropriated for the Judicial Branch this biennium would be the most we’ve ever received, and we commend lawmakers for investing in the Judicial Branch’s commitment to equal justice for everyone. I thank lawmakers for their generosity to our state courts in uncertain economic times so that we may meet our constitutional mandate to administer justice without favor, denial, or delay.”

The state budget proposal would provide an additional 13 magistrates, 93 deputy and assistant clerks, 11 assistant district attorneys, and 38 judicial support staff to North Carolina’s Judicial Branch. It would provide extra pay increases for Judicial Branch officials and staff in addition to the salary increases authorized by last year’s budget.