Sen. Richard Roth’s bill to add 26 judgeships across the state was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed Sept. 7. The bill is one of many to pass the legislature before the cut-off date at the end of the session.
The state has an overall need of 98 judges, with Riverside and San Bernardino courts needing 18 and 24, respectively, to meet their current caseloads, according to an October Judicial Council report.
In a quirk of the legislative-judicial funding process, the bill does not provide funding for the positions.
The bill also does not detail which courts will get which judges, instead leaving it up for the Judicial Council to decide. The Judicial Council already determined the order that it will distribute the judges in. San Bernardino is set to receive seven new judges, and Riverside is set to receive five.
THIS WAS LAST YEAR
"Our criminal justice system, particularly our State Superior Courts, has been traditionally under-resourced,” Roth (D-Riverside), said in a press release.
“These additional judgeships will help enable us to address the problem of delayed justice for defendants and ensure that victims see that their rights are vindicated in a timely way.”
The bill passed the Assembly 79-0 Sept. 7, and passed the Senate unanimously May 25.
