Van de Kamp Asks Deadline for High Court

SAN FRANCISCO —  Citing delays by the state Supreme Court in deciding cases, Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp called Wednesday for a requirement that the court issue rulings within a year after the legal arguments have been made.

Van de Kamp, who has been avoiding being critical of the court, said he will support legislation that would set a one-year deadline.

“The U.S. Supreme Court handles its cases in a single (yearlong) term. Why shouldn’t the California court meet the same standard?” the attorney general asked during a speech to a convention of district attorneys in Palm Springs. The text was made available here.

The court has before it about 20 fully argued death penalty cases, plus several others that have not yet been argued although written briefs have been submitted. The court has 240 other cases pending, including one that dates to 1980 and four pending since 1981.

The court generally issues about 130 written opinions a year. It usually decides cases within a year after they are argued, but on occasion, decisions are delayed for years. On New Year’s Eve, for example, the court reversed a death penalty case that had been fully argued in October, 1982.

Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, the state high court does not have a system of terms but accepts cases and issues rulings throughout the year. The U.S. Supreme Court rules on cases in which it hears argument during its yearlong term by the end of the term in July.