Mercury News
Felony cases tossed due lack of judges in Riverside County
The Associated Press
04/24/2008
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingn...nclick_check=1
RIVERSIDE, Calif.—More felony cases are being dropped in Riverside County because there aren't enough judges to hear them.
Supervising Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez this week dismissed two more felony cases—one of them an assault case, the second for burglary. Prosecutors immediately refiled the cases.
Seventeen cases have been tossed by the calendar-clogged court in the past 16 months. Riverside County courts have a backlog of more than 1,000 criminal trials.
The county has 56 judges and 20 commissioners, but the state Judicial Council says nearly double that number are needed. The county was scheduled to get another 14 judges over the next two years, but the positions have been stalled because of a tight state budget.
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