In these following articles, Supervising Judges Judith Craddick (Civil), John Kennedy (Criminal), Jill Fannin (Family), Lois Haight (Juvenile), John Sugiyama (Probate), Brian Haynes (Pittsburg), Leslie Landau (Richmond) and Thomas Maddock (Traffic) each provide perspectives on the operations of their respective division:
Civil Law Perspective by Hon. Judith Craddick
Commencing in January 2015, Judge Barry Goode is returning to the Civil Division and the complex litigation calendar. I will move to Judge Austin’s courtroom, assume handling his caseload and calendar and continue to act as Supervising Civil Division Judge. Read more…
Criminal Law Perspective by Hon. John Kennedy
The misdemeanor filings and trials surged last year due largely to the District Attorney’s concerted effort to eliminate a backlog of misdemeanor complaints. Our criminal courts have kept up with the caseload and absorbed the influx of additional cases by working harder and smarter. Read more…
Family Law Perspective by Hon. Jill Fannin
One real highlight has been the success of the John F. Kennedy University College of Law settlement workshops created by our own Commissioner Josanna Berkow (Ret.) in 2013. The goal is to have attorneys and law students prepare self-represented litigants for mandatory settlement conferences and trials. Read more…
Juvenile Law Perspective by Hon. Lois Haight
The miracle of the spirit of those working here in our courts is that you seldom hear a complaint. The staff has been remarkable by getting things done and done well. They all chip in to help each other in a spare moment and they deserve our sincere appreciation. Read more…
Probate Perspective by Hon. John H. Sugiyama
The current level of resources available to the Probate Division will be maintained throughout the remainder of this fiscal year. For your immediate attention, however, please take note of the local rules, which will take effect in a different format on January 1, 2015. The new rules, substantially revised and entirely reformatted, will more closely follow the structure of the California Rules of Court. Read more…
Pittsburg Courthouse by Hon. Brian Haynes
During the 2013-2014 fiscal year, the Pittsburg Court received over 5,000 new filings in the Felony/Misdemeanor Criminal Division alone. These numbers represent a significant increase over the previous fiscal year. Read more…
Richmond Courthouse by Hon. Leslie G. Landau
After years of deferred maintenance, we are finally seeing some long-awaited attention to the building. In the next few months, work will be completed on a new roof, siding, climate control and installation of energy efficient windows. Parking signage and security will be updated. Read more…
Traffic Division by Hon. Thomas Maddock
We have extended the traffic clerk window hours until 4 p.m., so litigants have an opportunity to handle all traffic matters at our Pittsburg, Walnut Creek and Richmond Court locations. Read more…