Napa Superior Court, by the numbers

Courthouse Corner, providing information to help the general public deal with the civil and criminal courts, appears on the second Tuesday of each month. Information in the column is provided by Napa County Superior Cou

Napa County Superior Court hears all types of disputes that arise in Napa County between individuals, corporations and government entities relating to state and municipal law.

We hear adult and juvenile criminal cases ranging from parking and traffic matters to assaults and homicides. We hear civil cases ranging from small claims to contract disputes to personal injury cases to class action law suits. We hear family-related cases from domestic and civil harassment to divorce, to custody, visitation, child support and emancipation. And we hear cases relating to the rights and liberties of people unable to care for themselves such as conservatorships, adoptions, guardianships and mental health proceedings.

All of these cases arise out of the interaction of the people, the transaction of business and the governance of the people of Napa County. Over the years the workload of the court has mirrored the growth of our county and the increased complexity of modern living.

Workload

The total number of cases filed with the court annually has increased by 18.9 percent since 2001. Today there are approximately 32,860 cases filed with the court every year. Over the past seven years, the largest percent increases in civil case filings have occurred in the areas of family law (33.5 percent), juvenile delinquency (30 percent) and general civil (384 percent).

The alarmingly large increase in general civil cases is attributable to the current economy. This category of cases included breach of contract, collection and civil harassment cases. The biggest reduction in case filings came in the area of personal injury cases (24.4 percent). On the criminal side, the largest increase in filings was in felony cases (70 percent).

Staffing

The 32,860 cases that are filed in the court are handled by the eight judicial officers (Presiding Judge Raymond A. Guadagni, Assistant Presiding Judge Stephen T. Kroyer, Judges Francisca P. Tisher, Diane M. Price, Rodney G. Stone, Mark S. Boessenecker, and Commissioners Michael S. Williams and Monique Langhorne-Johnson) and the 92 professional support staff of the court — comprised of legal processing staff, courtroom clerks, court reporters, court interpreters, court mediators, research attorneys, and information technology, fiscal and administrative staff.

While the number and complexity of the cases coming before the court have increased, the number of court support staff has remained unchanged from 2001. Leveraging court technology and the continuing education of court staff, the court has not only been able to meet the demands of the increased workload but has also been able to expand services to court users. For example the court has converted three clerical positions to certified court interpreter positions, providing high quality Spanish language simultaneous translation in court proceedings; converted one clerical position to a legal research attorney position; and increased the reallocated legal process clerical staff to expand the self-help center that provides assistance to self-represented litigants.

As the newspaper accounts of the budget crisis in California continue to describe the future financial challenges the court will face in the coming year, the court continues to plan, develop and act on strategies that will allow us to continue to serve the people of Napa County and to provide high quality, timely and reasonable priced access to justice for all.

Courthouse Corner, providing information to help the general public deal with the civil and criminal courts, appears on the second Tuesday of each month. Information in the column is provided by Napa County Superior Court.

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