LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Court to Hear Challenge to Using Deputies as Bailiffs
A state appeals court has agreed to hear a challenge to the use of deputy sheriffs as bailiffs in the court system, putting in jeopardy a recent move by Los Angeles County officials to consolidate all bailiff services with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The use of deputies as bailiffs had been challenged as unconstitutional by an association of Municipal Court judges and by a defendant in a criminal trial. The challengers argue that because deputies are often called as witnesses during trials, their use as bailiffs could prejudice a jury.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles-based 2nd District Court of Appeal agreed that the issue is “of general importance.”
County supervisors voted last year to disband the marshal’s office, which had provided bailiffs for municipal courts, in favor of the Sheriff’s Department as a cost-cutting measure. The appellate hearing has been set for June 15.
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