Former judge Richard E. Rico said a number of his friends who are still on the bench have told him he chose a good time to step down.
"We were already backlogged as it was when I left, but now it's exponentially greater," said Rico, who retired from the Los Angeles County Superior Court in March 2020. "Just trying to juggle all that caseload stuff along with the various things that have to be accommodated because of the pandemi... (continued)