Two-Tiered Court System Makes Sense

I find the Aug. 17 incorrect reference to Judge Ken Riley as a “Municipal judge” “acting as a Superior Court judge” to be a slap in the face of an excellent jurist and the voters of this county. After serving on the Municipal Court, Judge Riley was elected as a Superior Court judge in 1992. His official record shows his “appointment” rather than his “election” only because, after the election, an appointment was made so that he could assume his duties at an earlier time.

I’ve worked in the legal profession in Ventura County for 20 years. While many Municipal judges merit elevation to the Superior Court, many do not. In the past, Ventura County voters have rejected the election bid of Municipal judges for elevation to the Superior Court for the reasons that those individuals had not, in the public’s opinion, demonstrated the integrity, fairness, or decorum which has been Judge Riley’s hallmark.

It is unfortunate that in the current rush to “merge” the two courts, court administrators, the news media and some of the populace have forgotten the benefits of a two-tiered court system, not the least of which is a jurist “training” ground at the Municipal Court level in full public view so that we can decide who should serve for the longer term and handle the more complicated Superior Court matters.

SANDRA CLAYTON

Thousand Oaks