Napa County may face the retirement of another judge by the beginning of next year.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Ronald Young has been homebound since he was injured during an auto accident earlier this year, and court officials say he has applied to the state to get a disability retirement, an application that could take until December to process.

In the meantime, the courts are relying on two temporary judges to fill in for Young and former Napa Superior Court Judge Scott Snowden, who retired Aug. 31.

Steven Bouch, court executive officer for the Napa Courts, said thanks to visiting judges Philip A. Champlin and J. Michael Byrne, things have been running smoothly despite Young's injuries and Snowden's retirement. Local attorneys said they haven't noticed significant delays.

Although Bouch wouldn't release details of Young's injuries and the nature of the auto accident out of respect for Young's privacy, he said the injuries have prevented Young from hearing cases for the last few months.

"He tried to work through his rehab and things kept getting worse and worse," Bouch said.

Paul Hoff, president of the Napa County Bar Association, said lawyers he's talked to haven't noticed any snags in the functioning of the courts.

"I tend to see what is happening in the courts that I appear in front of, which are the civil courts," he said. "Other than judge Snowden taking his retirement I noticed they had been working as they normally do."

According to the 2005 edition of "California Courts and Judges," Champlin, 66, should be a familiar face for many local attorneys, having served as a Napa Superior Court judge from 1979 until his retirement in 2000.

Byrne, 62, formerly served the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he was first elected to sit in 1988 after stints as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties. Bouch said Byrne owns a home in Napa County.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to appoint a new judge to replace Snowden soon. Under state law, the governor has the right to appoint Snowden's replacement rather than wait for the seat to come up for election in 2008.

The governor's selection process is kept secret, but six local lawyers have announced they've petitioned the governor for consideration, including those well known in legal circles such as St. Helena City Attorney Diane Price, Napa Superior Court General Counsel Joanna Mittman and Deputy District Attorney Jose Rossi.

Both Napa Superior Court commissioners, Rodney Stone and Michael Williams, also announced they're seeking a judge's post. Commissioners are one step down from a judge, refereeing some criminal, traffic and family court matters.

Whoever Schwarzenegger appoints could face an election contest when the term expires in 2008.

Also Monday, court officials announced Napa Superior Court Judge Francisca Tisher would replace Napa Superior Court Judge Richard Bennett as presiding judge in 2006, a post that means Tisher will lead the team of seven judges and their 86-member court staff for the upcoming year.

"Napa courts have the reputation as being the best court in the state of California," Tisher said in a prepared statement. "Our judges and court staff are dedicated to keeping Napa courts at the top."

She also said one of her goals was to find ways of streamlining the jury system to make "an inefficient process as efficient as possible."

Tisher has the distinction of being the first female judge in Napa County following a 1995 appointment by Gov. Pete Wilson.