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Marin County — Criminal Defense Intelligence

Comprehensive intelligence briefing for Marin County — the Bay Area’s smallest and most efficient court with zero judicial vacancies, the 2nd-best clearance rate (98.2%), lowest regional FTA rate (11.2%), and a predominantly white bench (70%).

Criminal Filings

5,600

Cases/Judge

560

Vacancies

0 / 10

PD/DA Parity

0.55

Pretrial Detention

67.3%

FTA Rate

11.2%

Marin County Court System

Caseload, disposition, and judicial capacity data — FY 2023-24.

Criminal Filings

5,600

1,500 felonies · 4,100 misdemeanors

Dispositions

5,500

98.2% clearance rate

Pending Cases

1,750

+0.8% YoY growth

Cases per Judge

560

Moderate

Avg Days to Disposition

125

3rd fastest

Trial Rate

2.3%

2nd highest

Infractions

12,400

Positive Signal

Marin has zero judicial vacancies, the 2nd-best clearance rate (98.2%), and the lowest backlog growth (0.8%) in the Bay Area. This small court operates efficiently with minimal case pressure.

Bench Composition

Judicial profiles, vacancies, and demographics — 2024.

Authorized Judgeships

10

10 filled

Vacancies

0

Zero vacancies

Commissioners

3

13 total bench officers

Criminal Assignments

3

3 civil · 2 family · 2 juvenile

Judicial Demographics

Gender

Male: 5 (50%)

Female: 5 (50%)

Perfect gender parity: 50/50

Race/Ethnicity

White: 7 (70%)

Hispanic: 1

Black: 1

Other/Declined: 1

70% white — least racially diverse in Bay Area

Prior Career

Prosecutor: 4 (40%)

Public Defender: 2 (20%)

Private Practice: 3

Government: 1

Appointed By

Newsom: 3

Brown: 4

Schwarzenegger: 2

Other: 1

Avg years on bench: 13.2

Retirement Eligible (5yr)

3 judges

30% of bench

Vacancy Rate

0%

Zero vacancies

Retirement Risk

With only 10 judges, losing 3 retirement-eligible judges (30%) would be devastating to court capacity. In a court this small, every single vacancy has outsized impact.

Prosecution & Defense Funding

DA vs PD budgets, charging patterns, and resource parity — FY 2023-24.

DA Budget

$23M

25 attorneys

PD Budget

$12M

16 attorneys

PD/DA Ratio

0.55

Mid-pack

Attorney Ratio

0.64

3rd highest

Decline Rate

11.8%

2nd highest

Diversion Rate

9%

2nd highest

Felony Filing Rate

430/100K

Lowest in Bay Area

Case Review

7 days

Charging Patterns

Felony 26.8% Misdemeanor 53.5% Wobbler 13% Infraction 6.7%

Note: Marin has the lowest felony rate (26.8%) and 2nd-highest wobbler rate (13.0%), indicating significant prosecutorial discretion use.

Pretrial Detention & Bail

Jail population, pretrial detention, and release patterns — 2023.

Avg Daily Jail Pop

245

64.5% capacity

Detention Rate

67.3%

2nd lowest

Median Bail

$35K

2nd lowest

OR Release Rate

36.2%

2nd highest

Pretrial Detainees

165

Avg Days Detained

18

2nd shortest

FTA Rate

11.2%

2nd lowest

Pretrial Staff

6

Release Types

Own Recognizance
36.2%
Cite & Release
21.6%
Bail
20.5%
Pretrial Supervision
15.4%
Other
6.3%

Risk assessment tool: Public Safety Assessment (PSA)

Specialty Courts

Drug CourtMental Health CourtDUI CourtCommunity Court

Data Sources

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