Santa Ana Getting Second U.S. Judge

U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts is expected to announce Monday that he will become the second federal judge in the new Santa Ana U.S. District Court branch, according to court sources.

Letts would join U.S. District Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler in making the move from the federal courthouse in Los Angeles to Santa Ana.

The Santa Ana branch court has long been sought by lawyers in Orange County, which is within the Central District of California, centered in Los Angeles.

Dedication on Jan. 15

Dedication ceremonies for the building at Santa Ana Boulevard and Flower Street are scheduled for Jan. 15. The courthouse, which has three courtrooms, is to serve Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Letts, 52, was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan and assumed office in January of 1986.

He and his wife have three children and live on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Letts was graduated from Yale University and from Harvard Law School. He was with the law firm of Latham & Watkins before he was named to the bench.

George C. Ryker, court executive for the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, declined to comment on Letts’ move but did confirm that plans for the Santa Ana branch always did call for two full-time district judges.

U.S. Magistrate Ronald Rose will remain in Santa Ana as well.

Ryker said lawyers’ groups were briefed on final court plans Wednesday.

A manageable workload is critical to the success of the branch court. A yearlong study by Ryker’s office initially indicated that 20% of all the cases filed in the district come from the tri-county area to be served by the branch office.

Several lawyers suggested that it was unrealistic to expect only two judges to handle 20% of the workload.

However, new rules governing which lawsuits may be filed in Santa Ana have solved the problem, Ryker said.

Disposition of Cases

The rules are complicated, but the basic rule of thumb is that if either plaintiff or defendant, or the location of the dispute is in Los Angeles County, the case will be heard there.

Cases in which all parties and the dispute are in Orange, Riverside or San Bernardino counties will be heard in Santa Ana, Ryker said.

The rule means that 9.3% of the caseload will be transferred to Orange County--precisely in proportion to the number of district judges here, Ryker said.

In addition, other judges will be “encouraged” to sit in Santa Ana “where feasible,” Ryker said.