Superior, Municipal Courts Now Combined
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The county municipal courts and superior courts united officially Monday, changing the face--and name--of the system.
The new system is now known as the Superior Court of California, County of Orange. The county’s six former municipal and branch courts are now called justice centers. They are: the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Lamoreaux Justice Center in Orange, North Justice Center in Fullerton, West Justice Center in Westminster and South Justice Center in Laguna Niguel.
Presiding Judge Kathleen E. O’Leary on Monday released a set of administrative orders that rename court documents and confirm judicial assignments.
The consolidation, made possible by the passage of Proposition 220, will make the courts more efficient, said Alan Slater, executive officer of the Superior Court. It nearly doubles the size of the Superior Court and allows the county’s 108 judges to handle all types of cases wherever they are needed.
Slater said he expects a smooth transition. “The same work still has to be done, and all the judges will continue to do it,” he said.
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