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FAIRMONT - Since beginning his service as chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 15 months ago, Eric Magnuson has been to every judicial district at least once.

He doesn't believe he'll get to every single county courthouse, but he recently made it through the bottom tier of the Fifth Judicial District. The route along I-90 included the towns of Luverne, Worthington, Jackson, Fairmont and Blue Earth.

But there was more than a simple meet-and greet for the chief justice and the judicial workers he met on Friday.

"We're seeing a lot of changes and inadequate funding," Magnuson said. "What I'm doing is meeting with the people who make up the system and finding out how they're feeling and answering any questions they might have."

Magnuson is sympathetic to the isolation the counties in outstate Minnesota may be feeling.

"They feel the people in St. Paul don't hear them and make these decisions that affect them," he explained. "There are concerns regarding the uncertainty of the future, and changing the way we do business, and how it's going to affect their jobs and the community. ... We try to keep this all in mind as we do the budget. The challenge is to make smart changes."

One of these changes is relying more on technology and getting rid of excess paperwork.

"We are doing more now with e-citations and e-charging," Magnuson said. "But anytime there's changes, there's also bumps in the road. And then there are those who just don't like change. It's like that book, 'Who Moved My Cheese?' Well, we're moving a lot of cheese. But we're hoping to come out with an even stronger system."

Magnuson was pleased to see that even with the rocky times and transitions, the judicial system in Minnesota still seems to be offering a good product.

"A recent survey that was done showed that 80 percent of the people who needed to come to court felt that they were treated fairly, which is remarkable considering the type of drama that usually leads people to the courtroom," he said. "This doesn't necessarily mean that all these people won their case, but they felt that the court staff was courteous, and that they got a fair shake at it. We want to make sure we don't lose that quality."

Along with serving the community, Magnuson also wants to be able to serve the workers who keep the county courts running.

"I want to make sure they feel they can ask me questions, and that they have a face with the e-mails being sent. I don't have all the answers, but I can always find someone who does. I'd rather have someone ask me these questions instead of sitting there fretting."

During his trip to Fairmont, Magnuson also had the opportunity to speak with local district attorneys, public defenders and private practice lawyers. During these visits, the state budget woes and how they would affect the justice system in Minnesota was a common topic.

"The whole subject of society is to be civilized, so we need a funded justice system," Magnuson said. "Without our resources, they can write all the laws they want, but how will they be enforced?"

Those in the public circuit are already too familiar with the backlog of cases, with lower priority ones being shoved to the backburner. Already, it is not unusual to see a three- to six-month delay in probate cases. More cuts would make the process even slower, maybe even bringing the wheel of justice to a standstill.

"I told (Gov. Tim Pawlenty) that even if he gave me everything we wanted, the judicial would still have less than three percent of the state's total budget," Magnuson said. "I told the Legislators, if they cut 10 percent of our budget, that may appear to be 300 jobs. But these are people who have skills and resources that are valuable to us. If we lost those people, we lose a tremendous investment and talent."

Magnuson was impressed by the fact that the court systems he saw Friday had many long-time employees.

"There were many who had been there for 10 to 30 years," he said. "These are loyal employees who have worked hard, and they have expertise, and we don't want to lose that."

But with the workers of today, along with technology, the justice system could be running better than ever.

"For Greater Minnesota, the use of technology is more significant to them than it would be to the people in St. Paul, due to the distance," Magnuson said. "I'm impressed with the efforts I'm seeing with the courts, police and the court attorneys. They all get along even if they're not all on the same team. But they're all playing the same game."