Court Interpreters Advisory Panel

(a) Area of focus

To assist the 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, the advisory panel is charged with making recommendations to the council on:

(1) Interpreter use and need for interpreters in court proceedings; and

(2) Certification, registration, renewal of certification and registration, testing, recruiting, training, continuing education, and professional conduct of interpreters.

(b) Additional duty

The advisory panel is charged with reviewing and making recommendations to the council on the findings of the study of language and interpreter use and need for interpreters in court proceedings that is conducted by the Judicial Council every five years under Government Code section 68563.

(c) Membership

The advisory panel consists of 11 members. A majority of the members must be court interpreters. The advisory panel must include the specified numbers of members from the following categories:

(1) Four certified or registered court interpreters working as employees in trial courts, one from each of the four regions established by Government Code section 71807. For purposes of the appointment of members under this rule, the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, is considered part of Region 1 as specified in section 71807, and the Superior Court of California, County of Solano, is considered part of Region 2 as specified in section 71807;

(2) Two interpreters certified or registered in a language other than Spanish, each working either in a trial court as an independent contractor or in an educational institution;

(3) One appellate court justice;

(4) Two trial court judges; and

(5) Two court administrators, including at least one trial court executive officer.

(d) Advisors

The Chief Justice may also appoint nonmember advisors to assist the advisory panel.