Temporary Judge Program

• Experience:
  • Attorneys who have been members of the California State Bar for at least ten years
• Conditions for appointment:
  • Is a member of the State Bar in good standing with no disciplinary action pending
  • Has not pled guilty or no contest to a felony, and has not been convicted of a felony that has not been reversed
  • Has satisfied the education and training requirements 
  • Has satisfied all other general and specific conditions the Court may establish for appointment
• Training requirements:
  • Before Appointment (completion within three previous years)
    • Bench Conduct and Demeanor
    • Judicial Ethics for Temporary Judges
    • Substantive Training
      • For traffic: three hours
      • For small claims: five hours
        • Small Claims Court: Procedures and Practices (2 hrs)
        • Small Claims Court: Consumer and Substantive Laws (3 hrs)
      • ​​​​​​​For civil, probate and family: proof of three hours of coursework in each of these three areas in which the temporary judge serves
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Continuing Education Requirement (required every three years, covering the same subjects and of the same duration as prescribed in Rule 2.812(c))
    • Bench Conduct and Demeanor
    • Judicial Ethics
    • a course in each substantive area (small claims, traffic, civil, probate or family) in which the temporary judge serves

A temporary judge becomes inactive if they allow the training qualifications to lapse or do not volunteer to conduct court proceedings within a one-year period. The Temporary Judge Administrator will give an inactive temporary judge notice of their status as inactive, and if the temporary judge responds that they wish to remain active, they will have 30 days to comply and update the records. An inactive temporary judge must re-apply to the Court to become a temporary judge.

• Local training:

Training is offered periodically by the Superior Court in Marin County at various times during the year, as part of the Temporary Judge Program. If you are interested in being notified about the next Temporary Judge Program scheduled by the Court, please submit your contact information via email to administration@marin.courts.ca.gov.   

• Bench Conduct and Demeanor:

The Bench Conduct and Demeanor training class must be instructor-led (live remote or in-person) and be taught by a qualified judicial officer. MCLE credit will be provided to attendees at no cost.

• Judicial Ethics:

Mandatory Judicial Ethics courses are available on-line: Judicial Council Temporary Judge Resources website.

• Substantive Training Resources:

The court intends that, for temporary judges serving in the civil, probate and family divisions, the initial and continuing substantive training may be satisfied by appropriate courses taken to fulfill the State Bar’s MCLE requirements.

The Judicial Council Temporary Judge Resources website provides mandatory and subject-area (Civil, DV, Ethics, Family, Juvenile, Small Claims, Traffic) substantive online courses, publications, and participatory materials developed by the Education Division/California Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER), for use by judges, commissioners, and referees. Online courses may qualify for MCLE credit.

• Training verification:

To verify Judicial Council online course completion and to maintain good standing with the local Temporary Judges Program, please fill out the Certificate of Completion at the end of each course, and email a copy to administration@marin.courts.ca.gov.

After all training has been completed, use the form below to complete an application. The application form must be filled out and submitted with certificates to begin the application process.

Application to Serve as Temporary Judge