Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: NAVRAJ Rai, a 32-year-old attorney, has been sworn in as the first Sikh judge pro tempore in California’s Kern County, marking a milestone for the local Sikh community and the county’s court system. Rai was sworn in last week as a judge pro tem to the Superior Court of California in Kern County. He is the first Sikh to hold the position in the county’s history.
A judge pro tem is a private attorney appointed by the court to handle specific cases. The role is designed to ease heavy court calendars and speed up case resolutions. Rai said the significance of the moment became clear during the ceremony. “At that moment when you see the courtroom kind of flooded, that’s when it hit me, like, OK, I think this moment is bigger than what I realized,” Rai said.
He said his focus will be on public trust.
Rai is one of 23 attorneys serving in Kern County’s temporary judges program. He is expected to begin his work in traffic court. Kern County currently has 39 judges and eight commissioners. One judgeship remains vacant.
