New Presiding Judge Selected In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A new presiding judge will take the helm in Riverside County on Jan. 1, Superior Court officials said Friday.

Judge John M. Monterosso was selected by fellow jurists countywide to serve a two-year term. He will be replacing Presiding Judge John W. Vineyard, whose term expires on Dec. 31.

Monterosso is currently the assisting presiding judge and serves as the lead jurist overseeing administrative affairs at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, where he has been assigned since his appointment to the bench by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007.

Monterosso hears both criminal and civil matters and has presided over a number of trials.

He was a supervising district attorney before receiving his judicial appointment. His term will run until the end of 2022.

The assistant presiding judge in the new term will be Judge Judith C. Clark, who currently presides over the Juvenile Dependency Court.

Vineyard's term started in January 2019, and for most of the current year, he has been immersed in reconfiguring court operations stemming from the coronavirus public health orders. On his watch, all criminal and civil trials were suspended but have since re-commenced.

The Corona, Hemet and Temecula courthouses, as well as the Moreno Valley Traffic & Small Claims Court, have been closed since March 16. Vineyard indicated in June that they might be re-opened, but last month, he stated the closures would remain in effect for an indefinite period.