White Named to Judgeship by Governor : Superior Court: Wilson’s action lets the assistant D.A. assume the bench immediately. The term she was elected to begins in January.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Colleen Toy White was appointed a Superior Court judge Friday by Gov. Pete Wilson, allowing her to assume immediately the post she was elected to fill beginning in January.

The early appointment of White was welcomed by court officials, who said it will help alleviate the county’s backlog of criminal cases awaiting trial.

Although White will be assigned to the family law department, her presence on the court will free one additional judge to hear criminal cases, Presiding Judge Melinda A. Johnson said.

White, 50, was sworn into office in a private ceremony Friday by Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury, her mentor for the 18 years she was a prosecutor. For the past 11 years she has been Bradbury’s second in command in the district attorney’s office.

Then, in her first act as a Superior Court judge, White swore in Bradbury to his next four-year term as district attorney.

White of Camarillo will fill the unexpired term of Superior Court Judge Edwin M. Osborne, who retired this year. She already was slated to fill Osborne’s position, having won the seat in the June election, but her six-year term was not scheduled to begin for two months.

“I’m excited about going on the bench,” White said after she was sworn in. “I’m pleased with the assignment I’m going to get.”

The appointment leaves the Superior Court still one short of a full complement of judges. Johnson said it could be several months before the remaining vacancy, created when Judge Richard D. Aldrich was elevated to the Court of Appeal, is filled.

The shortage of judges, as well as the assignment of lengthy trials to two criminal judges, has had court officials scrambling to get all defendants to trial in the 60 days required by law. Johnson said the five criminal judges each have about 50 cases assigned to them, as opposed to their normal caseload of 30.

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The situation prompted Johnson to announce this week that she will temporarily assign almost all civil trial judges to the criminal department to handle the backlog.

“While we’re not in any danger of (having to dismiss) any cases because of time issues, we didn’t want to go into the holidays with this huge crunch of cases, because it’s a stressful enough time as it is,” Johnson said.

With White’s appointment, there are now 14 Superior Court judges. In addition, one retired judge and two Municipal Court judges are on full-time assignment to the court, Johnson said.

A commissioner spends three-fifths of his time on Superior Court business, and retired judges are recruited as often as possible to work part time, Johnson said.

White said the governor’s appointments secretary, Evelyn Miller, telephoned her Friday morning to tell her of the appointment. Less than three hours later, about 50 district attorney’s employees, relatives and guests witnessed the double swearing-in ceremony of White and Bradbury.

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“I think we’re about to make history,” Bradbury said as he announced to the surprised audience that he would swear in White.

Many of the onlookers were clerical workers who wiped away tears during the ceremony. White also choked back tears as she recited her oath of office.

“It is impossible to express what the last 18 years have meant,” she told the group. “I’ve grown up with some of you and grown old with others. I’m going to miss you all.”

White, a native of Oklahoma, married young and had a family before she returned to school at age 24 to earn her high school diploma. She then earned an associate of arts degree from Ventura Community College in 1972 and a law degree from the Ventura College of Law in 1977.

White has spent her entire legal career in the district attorney’s office. Hired as a law clerk for the office in 1976, she became a deputy district attorney the following year.

She became assistant district attorney in 1983.

White has been active in several community groups, including Child Abuse and Neglect Inc., the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Interface Family and Children Services, United Way and the Boy Scouts.

She ran against criminal defense attorney James M. Farley for the Superior Court seat, winning by a wide margin.

Johnson said White will attend a judge’s orientation next week and should assume her duties on the bench shortly after that.

The annual salary for Superior Court judges is $104,262.