Judicial robes. Photo by Jason Doiy and S. Todd Rogers

The Judicial Council on Tuesday handed Gov. Gavin Newsom a road map for appointing the 25 new judgeships funded in the 2019-20 state budget.

The council, meeting in Sacramento, approved an update to its judicial needs assessment, a document that crunches workload and filing data tied to each of the 58 superior courts to determine which ones most need new bench officers.

The neediest courts, as determined by the updated calculations, are no surprise: They're mostly found in the fastest-growing parts of the state, including San Bernardino and Riverside counties and the Central Valley.

According to the Judicial Council's latest priority list, the new 25 judgeships should be allocated this way: Six would go to San Bernardino County, five to Riverside, three to Sacramento, two each to Kern and Fresno, and one each to San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Shasta, Tulare, Kings, Merced and Ventura.

The new judgeships are half of the 50 positions created by the Legislature in 2007 but never funded. Gov. Jerry Brown, who faced a recession early in his administration, only set aside money for two of those judgeships in 2018. He chose instead to focus on efficiencies that would allow California courts to do more work with the same resources.

Newsom, left with few judicial vacancies after Brown filled 200 bench positions during his final year in office, approved the $30 million allocation for 25 new trial court judgeships the Legislature included in this year's budget. The spending plan authorizes the Judicial Council to allocate the money "in a manner consistent with improving equal access to the trial courts and accounting for local trial court staffing needs."

Newsom has yet to fill any judicial vacancies, and he is not required to fill those 25 positions first. As of Aug. 31, there were two vacancies in California's appellate courts and another 33 openings in the trial courts, all due to retirements, according to the Judicial Council.

Newsom and his judicial appointments secretary, former First District Court of Appeal justice Martin Jenkins, have named more than 100 judges, plaintiffs lawyers, Big Law partners and in-house attorneys from around the state to regional committees that will offer guidance on applicants.

Read more:

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