Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Wednesday, June 9, 2004

 

Page 1

 

Courts to Remain Open on Reagan Remembrance Day

 

By a MetNews Staff Writer

 

State courts will remain open during Friday’s day of remembrance honoring former President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday, officials said yesterday.

Other state and county offices will close, but the county law libraries will remain open and the offices of the district attorney and public defender will operate as usual.

In a message sent yesterday to court clerks, executives, and presiding judges and justices, Administrative Director of the Courts William C. Vickrey said neither President George Bush’s executive order designating Friday as a National Day of Mourning nor Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proclamation of a day of remembrance required court closures.

“Under California law, those actions do not make June 11 a judicial holiday,” Vickrey declared.

He added:

“Additionally, the Governor’s office has informed us that the proclamation—specifically uses the term ‘day of remembrance’ so as not to create a holiday or to cause the closure of courts. Therefore, courts shall remain open.”

Spokespersons for the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office said those offices would remain open on Friday.

Acting Assistant PD for Operations John Vacca commented:

“My guess is that most judges will try to clear their calendars as soon as they can.”

But Vacca said there will be last-day criminal cases and other matters that must be heard, and deputy public defenders will appear as required.

County spokeswoman Judy Hammond said the Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to declare Friday a “national day of remembrance” in honor of Reagan. As a result, she said, all “non-emergency” county offices will close.

A spokesperson for the county Probation Office said employees who work directly with the courts will work on Friday, but those who do not will have the day off. A spokesperson for the Office of the Registrar-Recorder-County Clerk said its offices will be closed on Friday.

Schwarzenegger’s proclamation declaring Friday a “day of remembrance of the extraordinary life of President Reagan” authorizes a day off on Friday for executive branch employees, and the offices of state agencies will close for the day.

Under the presidential declaration, the offices of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena will be closed on Friday. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the Central District Bankruptcy Court will be also be closed, though both will have some staff working and will be open for emergency filings, spokespersons there explained.

The U.S. Supreme Court will be in recess and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts also will be closed. Post offices will be closed Friday and there will be no regular mail delivery service.

 

Copyright 2004, Metropolitan News Company