Malcolm Maclachlan reports in the Daily Journal on Assembly Bill 3366, which would free California’s Chief Justice to issue — on their own — statewide emergency orders concerning trial court operations, such as extending various statutory deadlines. The legislation would amend Government Code section 68115. That statute currently limits the Chief Justice to making emergency orders only on a county-by-county basis and only on the request of a county superior court’s presiding judge.
The Assembly passed AB 3366 by a 62-2 vote on Monday. A week earlier, the bill was amended to make it an urgency statute that would take effect immediately on enactment. The bill states the urgency is the need “to address the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency at the earliest possible time by providing the necessary authority to the Chief Justice to modify court operations on a statewide or multicounty basis.” A May 28 Daily Journal article about AB 3366 noted I thought it ironic that a bill about emergency powers had not been written as an urgency measure.
Related:
“Bill aims to give chief justice more power in any multi-county emergency”
