Court Interpreters Advisory Panel

November 10, 2016 Action by E-mail between meetings

• Notice
• Proposed E-mail Action
• Current INT 100 Form
• Proposed Revised INT 100 Form

Previous Meetings

• 2016 Court Interpreters Advisory Panel Meetings
• 2015 Court Interpreters Advisory Panel Meetings
• 2014 Court Interpreters Advisory Panel Meetings

The 15 member Court Interpreters Advisory Panel includes: one appellate court justice; two superior court judges; two court administrators, including at least one trial court executive officer; four certified or registered court interpreter employees, one from each of the four regions established by California Government Code §71807; two certified or registered independent contract court interpreters in a language other than Spanish; and, four non-voting advisors. Members are appointed by the Chief Justice for a three-year term.

Rule 10.51 of the California Rules of Court states the charge of the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel (CIAP) is to assist the California Judicial Council in performing its duties under Government Code sections 68560 through 68566, and to promote access to spoken-language interpreters and interpreters for deaf and hearing-impaired persons. To carry out this charge, CIAP reviews and makes recommendations to the council on:

1. Interpreter use and need in court proceedings;
2. Certification, registration, testing, recruiting, training, continuing education and professional conduct of court interpreters; and,
3. The findings of the language need and interpreter use study for interpreters in California court proceedings that is conducted by the Administrative Office of the Courts every five years under Government Code section 68563.

Download the committee roster

• Hon. Brian L. McCabe, Chair, Presiding Judge  County of Merced
• Mr. Shawn Landry, Vice Chair, Court Executive Officer County of Yolo
• Hon. Andrea Hoch, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal Third Appellate District
• Mr. Hector Gonzalez, Court Executive Officer County of Mono
• Hon. Manuel J. Covarrubias, Superior Court Judge County of Ventura
• Ms. Carmen Benbrook, Certified Court Interpreter Region 4 County of San Diego
• Ms. Claritza J. Callaci, Certified Court Interpreter Supervisor Region 1 County of Los Angeles
• Mr. Hany Farag, Certified Court Interpreter Independent Contractor
• Ms. Janet Hudec, Certified Court Interpreter Region 3 County of Madera
• Ms. Marta Selvi, Certified Court Interpreter Region 2 County of Marin
• Vacant, Certified Court Interpreter Independent Contractor

Advisors

• Ms. Ramona Crossley, ASL Interpreter Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
• Ms. Maureen Keffer, Indigenous Program Director California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
• Ms. Ivette Peña, Court Counsel Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles
• Ms. Katherine Williams, Court Operations Manager Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

Language Access Subcommittee

• Hon. Manuel Covarrubias, Judge of the Superior Court of California County of Ventura
• Carmen Benbrook, Certified Court Interpreter Region 4 County of San Diego
• Ramona Crossley, American Sign Language Interpreter Superior Court of California County of Sacramento
• Hany Farag, Certified Court Interpreter Independent Contractor
• Janet Hudec, Certified Court Interpreter Superior Court of California County of Madera
• Maureen Keffer, Indigenous Program Director California Rural Legal Assistance Oakland, CA
• Katherine Williams, Court Operations Manager Superior Court of California County of San Diego

Professional Standards and Ethics Subcommittee

• Hon. Andrea Hoch Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal Third Appellate District
• Hector Gonzalez, Court Executive Officer Superior Court of California County of Mono
• Steve Cascioppo, Assistant Court Executive Officer Superior Court County of San Diego
• Claritza Callacci, Certified Court Interpreter Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles
• Bao Luu, Certified Court Interpreter Superior Court of California County of Orange
• Vacant, Certified Court Interpreter Independent Contractor
• Ivette Pena, Court Counsel Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles
• Marta Selvi, Certified Court Interpreter Region 2 County of Marin

In May of 1978, after a comprehensive survey of the language needs of California citizens, the enactment of AB 2400 made California the first state to mandate court interpreter services and testing of interpreter skills and competency. In January 1993, the Legislature required the council to certify and register court interpreters and adopt standards and requirements for interpreter education. (Sen. Bill 1304; Stats. 1992, ch. 770.) At the same time, the Legislature also created the court interpreters' fund, and mandated data collection and periodic study of language use and interpreter need in California.

As a result of SB 1304, the Chief Justice appointed the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel as a new Judicial Council standing advisory committee. The Court Interpreters Advisory Panel is unique in that a majority of the voting members must be court interpreters.

California has the largest pool of certified and registered interpreters in the country.  There are over 1750 certified and or registered interpreters currently on the Judicial Council's List of Certified Court Interpreters and Registered Court Interpreters.

See also: Joint Working Group for California's Language Access Plan
The Joint Working Group is composed of two Judicial Council advisory groups: Access & Fairness Advisory Committee and the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel, and also includes bench officers, court staff, and certified and registered court interpreters (both contractors and court employees).