Wednesday, July 23, 2025

J. Murray files an answer

The Recorder has Former CA Appellate Justice Blames Complex Caseload, Court Attorneys for Chronic Case Delays

  • A former state appellate justice facing disciplinary charges for allowing assigned cases to languish for years blamed his meticulous work ethic, changing laws, cumbersome courthouse processes and a host of other factors for the chronic delays.
  • In a 106-page answer filed Monday with the Commission on Judicial Performance, retired Third District Court of Appeal Justice William Murray Jr. insisted the backlog of cases that plagued his chambers was "not for lack of trying or habitual neglect."
[The DJ has Retired justice fights watchdog over timing of charges over judicial delays -- William J. Murray Jr., formerly of the 3rd District Court of Appeal, argues California's judicial oversight body waited too long to act, while denying his own delays in issuing rulings amounted to misconduct.
  • Retired justice William J. Murray, Jr. claimed this week he cannot get a fair trial from California's judicial watchdog because it waited too long to bring the case. Ironically, the misconduct charges the Commission on Judicial Performance filed against Murray last month say he engaged in chronic delay in delivering opinions.]