Judicial officers: oaths and affirmations.

Under existing law, a judicial officer, among others, may administer oaths or affirmations. Existing law also authorizes a former judge or justice of a court of record in this state who retired or resigned from office, other than a judge or justice who was retired by the Supreme Court for disability, to administer oaths and affirmations, if certified by the Commission on Judicial Performance. This bill would permit a former judge or justice who is retired by the Supreme Court for disability to administer oaths and affirmations, if certified by the Commission on Judicial Performance. This bill would require all former judges and justices to submit a medical certification in conjunction with their applications for certification to administer oaths and affirmations, and it would require the commission to issue a certification to administer oaths and affirmations, valid for five years from the date of issuance, to an applicant if his or her medical certification indicated that he or she did not have a medical condition that would impair his or her ability to administer oaths and affirmations. If the applicant's medical certification indicated that he or she had a medical condition that could impair his or her ability to administer oaths and affirmations, but did not do so at the time of the medical certification's submission, the bill would require the commission to issue a certification to administer oaths and affirmations valid for only two years. This bill would also permit former judges and justices certified before January 1, 2016 to continue to administer oaths and affirmations until January 1, 2017, before needing to reapply for certification pursuant to these provisions.