One of the few areas of public service largely spared from Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s bare-bones budget plan is supposed to be public safety.

We say “supposed to be” because the budget plan he offered Tuesday still seeks a 5 percent cut in funding Minnesota’s justice system. More foreboding, there is talk at the Capitol of cutting 10 percent.

Either of those would greatly imperil public safety. While it will be difficult, we urge the governor and Legislature to make no more cuts to courts funding. In fact, we’d like to see some of the recent cuts restored in the next biennium, or, at the least, a plan created that achieves that goal within four years.

The truth is that the Legislature and governor have cut funds for the state’s justice system to the point that additional reductions won’t just imperil public safety, they will weaken the very legal foundation upon which a civil society is built.

Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson made that point Thursday when he and the Coalition to Preserve the Justice System stopped in St. Cloud to explain the potential impacts.

Magnuson notes that the first section of the first article of the Minnesota Constitution says the object of government is to provide for the “security, benefit and protection of the people.” Clearly, the justice system and enforcement of laws play a crucial role in that objective.

Yet cuts of 5 percent to 10 percent could result in the courts not enforcing minor crimes or shuttering small claims and consumer credit cases. Also on the chopping block: Help for needy families with legal issues involving mortgage foreclosure, domestic violence, truancy, runaways and homelessness.

Magnuson and the coalition project other impacts:

At least 250 to 500 positions cut will be cut in the judicial branch.

Twenty-one types of low-priority cases would no longer be heard. (Shoplifting, trespassing, traffic violations, etc.)

The ranks of public defenders would drop by up to 25 percent, or another 100 attorneys in addition to the 70 who lost jobs this summer.

Overall, courts will be able to concentrate only on felony defendants who are in custody. Other cases would be delayed, perhaps indefinitely.

Think about those impacts.

What will petty criminals have to fear if their efforts face little chance of prosecution? How many wayward juveniles will drift toward a permanent life of crime largely because they are not held accountable as youths? Why would anyone want to go into law enforcement or the justice system knowing all that awaits them?

Yes, we know these are tough times for the state’s budget. But a civil (not to mention safe) society rests on a justice system with adequate resources to uphold the rule of law. The Legislature and governor already have cut Minnesota’s justice system to the point of jeopardizing that objective.

They must not make more cuts this session. And, for the betterment of all Minnesotans, they must develop a long-term plan to restore adequate resources to ensure this state can ultimately provide justice for all.

Editorial Board member Dorrie Larison abstained from this Our View due to a potential conflict of interest.