Take Down the Courts’ ‘Vacancies’ Sign : * Governor Can’t Be Too Busy to Make Crucial Appointments Needed to Ease Backlog

The court system in Orange County for years has limped along shorthanded, operating with fewer judges than it ought to have according to the standards set down by the California Judicial Council. The result has been a growing backlog of cases that jams court calendars and makes litigants in some civil lawsuits wait years to have their cases heard.

To try to overcome the shortage of judges, the courts have been using a variety of alternatives, including drafting attorneys to sit as temporary judges, using computers and making procedural refinements that could help speed up the system. What’s still needed, however, is more bench strength.

It’s bad enough that there have been no new judges appointed in Orange County for about four years, except for those named to replace judges who have retired or been elevated to a higher court. But the court system is being made even more sluggish because Gov. Pete Wilson hasn’t bothered to name replacement judges for all the existing vacancies in the county.

There are now two openings in the Municipal Court in Westminster and one in the Santa Ana Municipal Court. Two of the vacancies date back to late 1990; the other to April. The Superior Court has also been short one jurist since April.

Why hasn’t the governor named replacements in the more than 17 months he has held office? Surely it’s not because there aren’t enough qualified and eager attorneys in the county who want the job. No. The governor’s office says the reason the judicial posts haven’t been filled is simply that the governor hasn’t had the time. He’s been too busy.

We know the governor has pressing problems. There’s always some state business needing attention. But it’s hard to imagine he’s been too busy for almost 18 months to pick some names from a list of judicial recommendations. Courts deserve more attention than that.

With no new judges being appointed to hear the mounting number of cases filed and ease the backlog, it’s only fair--and efficient-- to quickly fill judicial vacancies when they occur.

The courts shouldn’t be forced to become even more understaffed than they now are. People wait too long for their day in court as it is.