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The San Francisco Superior Court recently announced a series of changes which will undoubtedly affect nearly every civil matter filed within its jurisdiction.
Most notably, effective December 8, 2014, the Court is mandating electronic filing for all civil case types, except limited unlawful detainer cases and small claims. The Court's e-filing program benefits parties in various ways. For example, parties may now file and view documents outside of regular business hours, and will now receive notices, orders, and judgments from the Court immediately. Additionally, parties will experience a substantial savings in courier, mailing, and paper costs, as they now may serve registered parties electronically.
The administration of the Court is also changing. Recently, the Bench unanimously elected Assistant Presiding Judge John K. Stewart as the incoming Presiding Judge of the Court. As Presiding Judge, Judge Stewart hopes to, among other things, expand the single assignment program to include additional judges who will both manage and try cases. Judge Stewart stated he intends to continue running the Court with the same openness and transparent decision-making as current Presiding Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee. Judge Stewart's two-year term begins January 1, 2015.
Judge Teri L. Jackson, a 12-year veteran of the Court, was elected to serve as the incoming Assistant Presiding Judge of the Court. Judge Jackson is the first African American female to serve in this role. She currently supervises the Court's voluminous asbestos docket.. In her capacity as Supervising Judge, Judge Jackson scheduled a series of Town Hall Meetings designed to seek input from counsel and client representatives regarding the handling of asbestos litigation going forward in San Francisco. At the November 4th meeting, Judge Jackson confirmed she will continue to preside over asbestos matters through June 2015. Despite the backlog of nearly 200 cases set for trial, and the impending retirement of several judges (discussed below), Judge Jackson was confident in her ability to send asbestos matters to trial departments in the coming months. This was music to the ears of both the plaintiff and defense bar; the current San Francisco inventory of asbestos cases is approximately 500 and both sides are eager to move cases forward by placing them into trial departments.
A series of retirements will also affect the Court's administration. Judge John E. Munter, who has presided over one of the Court's two Complex Litigation Departments for eight years, will retire on December 31, 2014. Judge Munter has served on the San Francisco Bench for nearly 21 years. Judge Munter will be missed as he is a great legal mind before whom Burnham Brown has litigated numerous cases.
Replacing Judge Munter is Judge Wiss, a 13-year veteran of the Court, who has previously served as the Supervising Judge of the Probate Division. Judge Wiss is the first woman judge to serve in one of the Court's Complex Litigation Departments. Burnham Brown has had extensive experience with Judge Wiss and she is an excellent choice to replace Judge Munter. Judge Peter J. Busch will replace Judge Wiss as the Supervising Judge of the Probate Division.
Judge Julie Tang retired on September 7, 2014, after 24 years on the San Francisco bench. Judge Tang most recently presided over criminal trials at the Hall of Justice. One of Judge Tang's crowning achievements was launching and presiding over the Court's first Domestic Violence Court. Judge Bruch E. Chan, Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division, said of Judge Tang, "The retirement of Judge Tang is a tremendous loss to the Court . . . From her first until her final day on the Bench, Judge Tang has been a role model to women and minority lawyers, inspiring many to seek careers in public service and the judiciary."
Lastly, on November 18, 2014, Judge Richard A. Kramer announced his retirement from the bench effective February 2015. Judge Kramer is perhaps best known for his 2005 decision where he struck down as unconstitutional Proposition 22, a California ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man and woman.
While there are numerous changes within the Court, Burnham Brown has extensive experience with the Judges who are replacing the retiring justices and it is prepared to handle the new electronic filing requirements. If you wish to receive any additional information regarding the changes within the San Francisco Superior Court, please contact Robert M. Bodzin, who oversees Burnham Brown's San Francisco office or Michelle Meyers.
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