LowellDeeds

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Lowell this afternoon on the future of the judiciary. Representatives Kevin Murphy and Colleen Garry were members of the panel. Judge Walker of the Lowell District Court testified about the administrative crisis at the LDC caused by years of cuts in funding and personnel. Since there's been no corresponding decrease in crime, the district court is in a desperate situation. I testified briefly, asking the committee to remember the Registry of Deeds and how convenient it was for lawyers and the public to have the registry located within a courthouse. I also stressed that with our technological advances (Internet access to documents and electronic recording) the space needed by the registry in the near future was only about 75% of the space we currently occupy.