Rule 130.05 Assignment of Cases to Commissioner

This rule explains how judges can assign cases to a court commissioner instead of hearing them personally. A commissioner is a judicial officer who can hear cases and make recommendations, similar to a judge, but with some different rules about how their decisions become final.

The administrative judge in charge of the court has the power to send certain cases to the commissioner. This can include detention hearings, informal hearings, and cases involving juvenile matters, child welfare, divorce and family law, child support, and protective orders. The administrative judge decides which cases go to the commissioner first before a judge gets involved.

The rule gives the administrative judge flexibility in how this assignment happens. They can decide on a single case at a time, or they can set up a general system where court staff automatically send certain types of cases to the commissioner based on a plan the judge creates. The goal is to let the court run smoothly by spreading out the work between judges and commissioners in whatever way makes sense for that particular court.