Subject to the direction of the Presiding Judge, Court Commissioners perform various judicial functions as prescribed by law or conferred by the court. The power and authority of Commissioners is specified in Article VI, Section 22, of the California Constitution, and Code of Civil Procedure Section 259.

Court Commissioners are subordinate judicial officers who serve at the pleasure of the Court and may be assigned to any Court location in the County of Ventura. Commissioners may be required to travel for educational or training purposes or mandatory conferences as related to the assignment.

Court Commissioners are prohibited from the private practice of law. (Govt. Code, § 68082; Cal. Code of Judicial Ethics, Canon 4 G.)

Commissioners may hear matters in the Superior Court including, but not limited to, Family Law, Juvenile Delinquency, Child Support Services, Domestic Violence, Civil Harassment, Traffic, Criminal, Civil and Small Claims.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Acts as a Temporary Judge in Court cases when otherwise qualified and appointed on stipulation of counsel or parties; conducts a daily court calendar; presides over hearings and trials; makes rulings, findings, judgments, and orders.
• Arraigns defendants; hears reviews and rules on or determines a variety of petitions, motions, and other actions; takes evidence from witnesses; makes or recommends appropriate court orders; accepts pleas and imposes sentences; sets cases for hearings and trials and conducts court and jury trials.
• Conducts judicial hearings in family support cases involving Title IV of the Social Security Act, and cases filed by the Department of Child Support Services to establish paternity and other child support related matters; may act as a judge pro tem in such matters; or as a commissioner making findings and recommendations subject to review by a judge of the court.
• Presides over proceedings involving such matters as criminal and traffic arraignments, unlawful detainer, hearings and trials of infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies.
• Presides over proceedings in civil and small claims actions.
• Reviews court files, documents, and related materials to assess cases prior to and following hearings; prepares court documents, records, reports, correspondence, and other written materials pertaining to case findings.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the Presiding Judge.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Commissioner must have a knowledge of:

• General functions and organization of the judicial system, including the various divisions of the Court and the roles and functions of other justice agencies.
• Statues, regulations, rules, laws, and procedures that govern the legal discipline of the assignment.
• Principles, practices, methods, and materials of legal research and analysis.
• Legal terms, procedures, forms, and pleadings.
• Trial and hearing procedures, California Evidence Code, California Penal Code, California Family Code, California Code of Civil Procedure, California Rules of Court, and the California Code of Judicial Ethics.

Commissioner must have ability to:

• Handle high-volume assignments and make timely, effective decisions that conform to California law.
• Issue judgments and orders.
• Read, understand, and interpret relevant laws, rules, and regulations.
• Analyze legal information, relate it to the law, and reach a sound conclusion.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish priorities and successfully coordinate competing activities.
• Use relevant computer programs including legal research, support calculation, and word processing software.
• Use equipment to facilitate remote appearances for court proceedings.
• Participate in court committees as directed by the presiding judge.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with judges, attorneys and other court and county staff.
• Exhibit appropriate judicial demeanor, including patience, respect for all courtroom participants, impartiality, calmness, objectivity, and attentive listening.

Hiring and Performance Evaluation Criteria:

• Temperament: Demonstrated character traits of patience, calmness under pressure, open-mindedness, fairness, objectivity, respectfulness, courtesy, sensitivity, freedom from bias, ability to adapt successfully to challenging or difficult situations, honesty, integrity, humility, and empathy.
• Judgment: Demonstrated ability to: make considered, reasonable and sound decisions; make discerning and sensible conclusions about witness credibility and the weight of evidence; distinguish between reasonable and unreasonable legal arguments; make sensible choices concerning expenditure of time and energy on issues or arguments based upon probability of success and merits.
• Experience and Skill: Demonstrated depth and breadth of legal experience (e.g., jury trial, court trial, and other adversarial proceedings or public hearing experience; subject matter experience (e.g., criminal, civil, family, juvenile, probate); life experience; professional achievement; professional ability (including advocacy skills); work-flow management capability; creativity; demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Work Ethic: Experience and character traits demonstrating reliability, dependability, and accountability; dedication to one’s work or profession; productivity; efficiency; ability to work effectively with others; professional excellence; disciplined approach to work; professionalism; determination; a desire to learn.
• Commitment to Public Service/Community: Demonstrated experience serving the community; reasons motivating application to become a judicial officer; aspects of applicant’s background which demonstrate a commitment to public service and the community.

Membership: An active member in good standing with the State Bar of California.

Experience: A member of the California State Bar and admitted to practice law in California for at least 10 years or, on a finding of good cause by the presiding judge, a minimum of ten years licensed to practice law in any state with at least 5 years in California.

Other: Citizenship in the United States and residency in California.

Desirable Experience: Family, Civil and/or Criminal Litigation Experience.





Application Materials: All applicants for the Commissioner position are requested to provide the following materials in support of their candidacy:

• Cover Letter
• General Application required for all prospective court employees
• Responses to Supplemental Questions to Application
• Resume
• Writing Sample (10 pages or less)
• 3 to 5 References with Contact Information
• Judicial Applicant Waiver and Release

Applications that do not contain all the requested materials are incomplete.

JUDICIAL APPLICANT WAIVER and RELEASE
All applicants are required to execute the following:

CERTIFICATION, AUTHORIZATION, WAIVER AND RELEASE:

I hereby acknowledge and agree that my application may be given to the Judges of the Ventura County Superior Court and its Human Resources department (HR). I further acknowledge and agree that for the purpose of aiding the Judges in evaluating my background and qualifications, the foregoing organizations and individuals will be entitled to seek and obtain information and documents concerning me from firms, companies, corporations, law schools and other educational institutions, attorneys, judges and other third parties, including those mentioned in my application.

I hereby authorize any governmental, licensing or law enforcement agency, including but not limited to the State Bar of California, and major national credit reporting organizations (collectively referred to as "agencies") to release any and all information which those agencies may have about me (whether public, personal or confidential) for the purpose of aiding the Judges of the Ventura Superior Court in evaluating my background and qualifications for appointment as a Court Commissioner. I understand that I will not receive and am not entitled to know the contents of confidential reports received from these agencies and I further understand that these reports are privileged, except that I am entitled to receive a copy of reports from major national credit reporting agencies and the Commission on Judicial Performance.

I hereby release and discharge the Ventura Superior Court, and its Judges, Human Resources department, all agencies, their agents and representatives, and any person furnishing information from any and all liability of every nature and kind arising out of the furnishing, use and inspection of documents, records and other information and the investigation of my background and qualifications, and this release shall be binding.
Your digital signature when you certify and electronically submit your application constitutes your acceptance and affirmation of this CERTIFICATION, AUTHORIZATION, WAIVER AND RELEASE, under the penalty of perjury.

All discussions among the judges concerning the appointment of the commissioner, including but not limited to those which occur during the deliberations of the selection committee or during the voting process, are confidential and shall not be disclosed to the applicant or any other persons other than judges.

An applicant for the commissioner position is prohibited from contacting any of the judges of the Court for the purpose of soliciting the support of the judge or any other judge, or to obtain confidential information as defined above from the judge. An applicant may contact no more than three judges for the purpose of requesting that they serve as references in the application. Any applicant willfully violating this prohibition may be excluded from consideration for or appointment to the commissioner position at the discretion of the Presiding Judge.

APPLICATION EVALUATION: All applications received shall be reviewed to determine which applicants meet the minimum job requirements of the Court Commissioner position. The applications shall be evaluated and ranked according to hiring criteria by the Commissioner Recruitment and Selection Committee. The Commissioner Recruiting Committee shall be composed of six judges: the Presiding Judge, the Asst. Presiding Judge, Presiding Appellate Judge, plus the supervising judges of each division (criminal, civil, family, and juvenile). The Chair of the Committee shall be the Presiding Judge of the Ventura County Superior Court.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE: All applicants are required to complete the Questionnaire for this recruitment. The Supplemental Questionnaire shall be used throughout the recruitment and selection process in determining each applicant's qualifications and eligibility for this position.

SELECTION INTERVIEW: The best qualified candidates will be invited to interview with the Ventura County Superior Court judges. Date: TBD