Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubicon
Do judges typically have more than one case on their plate at any given time? In other words is she fully focused on just this single case or is it typical to be writing judgements on multiple cases simultaneously?
Also this is really in essence 5 cases all being tried at once, correct? She is really judging 5 defendants independently and writing 5 individual judgments.
July 24 seems quite reasonable and actually quite quick to me.
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Judges will typically have a bunch of "reserved" decisions that they are working on at any one time. Judges don't just hear cases. They also hear all sorts of applications, desk order matters, and other interlocutory type matters. Trial will typically start at 10:00 AM, judges may here small portions of other matters starting at 8:30 AM. Given how high profile this case is, it's likely the only one the judge is hearing right now though.
In BC, there's a huge judge shortage. So the judges are pretty overworked. They also need to travel between courthouses, which takes up their time. For example, they will typically rotate judges in rural areas.
Yes, this is 5 different cases. It's not in essence anything, it's 5 different cases being heard at the same time and sharing evidence/findings of fact, etc... Having all the trials heard at once prevents the courts from making inconsistent findings of fact. For example, finding that person X did Y in once case but a totally different finding in another. In this situation, its also a lot more efficient and it doesn't put the victim through the trial process 5 separate times.