Yes on 91

Proposition 91 on the November general election ballot would amend the California Constitution to make a small but significant change in the way the state administers its courts. It deserves a yes vote.

Proposition 91 would redefine the state’s smallest judicial districts, justice courts, as “courts of record” and set minimum standards to be met by attorneys who serve as justice court judges on a part-time basis. Justice courts are generally found in small, rural counties throughout the state, including Trinity, Shasta and San Benito. They handle the kinds of cases brought before municipal courts, with important exceptions, such as requests for federal search warrants and extraditions from other states.

By voting to make these small jurisdictions courts of record, voters would assure that their orders have the same force of law outside the state and within the federal court system that all other California court rulings do. To ensure a minimum level of competency for justice court judges, the proposition requires that they be members of the California State Bar for at least five years, the same level of experience required for municipal court judges.