SEATTLE (AP) — The Metropolitan King County Council has approved over $42 million in supplemental funding for the county’s backlogged criminal legal system. The Seattle Times reports that amount is far less than judges, prosecutors and public defenders requested, and far more than advocates, who consider the system unjust, wanted to see. The money mostly comes from the COVID-19 relief package passed by congressional Democrats and will go toward hiring more full-time court staffers and 100 temporary positions to help facilitate court operations. The court funding was part of a much larger budget package but stood out as one of the few county COVID-19 funding proposals in the last year that has drawn significant opposition.
King County Council approves $42M for court backlog
