Some State Courts Still Short of Judges

California judges' salaries are funded directly by the state.

Superior court filings are down 24 percent from their all-time peak of 10.26 million, reached in fiscal year 2008-09. But many counties don't have enough judges to handle even the reduced caseload, and judges in the ten worst-off counties are carrying up to 68 percent more cases than they should, the Judicial Council estimates.

On the other hand, lawyers and jurists in 23 California counties may be surprised to learn their courts have more judges than they theoretically need. The standouts are Alameda County, where the 85 funded seats include 14.9 beyond the minimum required, and Santa Clara County, where the tally of 89 judges includes 19.4 "more authorized positions than assessed judicial need."

Sources: The Judicial Council of California's annual Court Statistics Reports for 2000 through 2014 * Based on factors including average filings over three years.

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Donna Mallard

Daily Journal Staff Writer

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