By City News Service Close-up Of Gavel And Justice Scale LOS ANGELES (CNS) - California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye announced today the start of a program to use retired judges to decrease delays in getting criminal cases resolved during the pandemic. The goal of the Temporary Assigned Judges Program is to reduce backlogs accrued, and it will likely remain in effect until the COVID-19 state of emergency is over, Cantil-Sakauye said. “Courts, prosecutors, and defense counsel will face a substantial number of cases as we emerge from shelter-in-place orders and the COVID-19 pandemic unless the justice community makes a concerted effort to take action now,'' she wrote in a memo to court leaders.