When the Supreme Court released its January calendar last week, half of the cases had pro tems to be named later. Pro tems are needed because Governor Jerry Brown has not yet appointed retired Justice Kathryn Werdegar’s replacement. (Today is day 282 since Werdegar announced her retirement, and the long-unfilled vacancy is wearing on the court.)
Yesterday the court disclosed the January pro tems, and there’s one more than expected.
In a death penalty case — People v. Daveggio and Michaud — Justice Carol Corrigan is now recused and Fourth District, Division Three, Presiding Justice Kathleen O’Leary will join previously announced Justice Stuart Pollak as the pro tem team. Actually, the Supreme Court’s docket shows that O’Leary was appointed a pro tem more than a month before Pollak was, but it looked like Pollak was simply replacing O’Leary as the pro tem because there was — and still is — nothing on the docket indicating Justice Corrigan’s recusal.
Here are the other newly announced pro tems:
Regents of the University of California v. Superior Court: First District, Division Two, Court of Appeal Justice James Richman.
In re Figueroa: First District, Division Five, Court of Appeal Justice Mark Simons.
People v. Martinez: Second District, Division Seven, Court of Appeal Justice John Segal.
In re Butler: Second District, Division Eight, Court of Appeal Justice Laurence Rubin.