The Bench: Oil Changes, Gonzales & Criminal Trials

Speedy_gonzales What do these three things have in common?  They're all expected to be speedy.  However, only one of them is a right guaranteed under the 6th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Now, due to a shortage of judges in Riverside County, California, 18 criminal cases have been dismissed, with 300 more in the pipeline that were on appeal.  The California Supreme Court upheld the dismissals.

It would be intellectually dishonest to blame this solely on the budget crisis.  I attended a judges symposium about three weeks ago at which Riverside County's issues, among others, were discussed; and they aren't all monetary.

Andele!