TALLAHASSEE (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court is asking the Legislature to create 63 more trial-level judgeships.

The justices on Thursday cited high workloads due to prior budget cuts that have reduced staffing.

They acknowledged that a falling crime rate has taken some of the pressure off the courts but wrote that judges still are dealing with a backlog of mortgage foreclosure cases.

The high court has made similar requests in each of the past six years, but lawmakers have authorized no additional judgeships in that span.

The request is for 47 new county judges, whose duties include misdemeanor and traffic cases, including 11 in Miami-Dade County and six in Broward County.

The justices are seeking 16 additional circuit judges, who handle felony cases as well as foreclosures and large lawsuits.