Labor/Employment
Oct. 20, 2026
California courts can't solve the interpreter shortage without pay parity
California courts must address pay disparities for staff interpreters to stem workforce shortages, reduce reliance on costly contractors and ensure meaningful access to justice for non-English-speaking litigants.
Eunji Averill
Eunji Averill is a staff interpreter at the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, and a member of the California Alliance of Legal Interpreters.
The Judicial Council of California (JCC) just made the language access crisis worse for trial courts. At last Friday's JCC meeting, the council approved the federal per diem, the maximum allowable fee, as the new state rate for contract interpreters. The increase was long overdue.
So, what's the problem? Contractors have been negotiating premiums well over the federal rate for years. Coupled with other policy changes, the new "higher" rate actually reduces
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