Nevada County Superior Court Judge Julie McManus has been absent from family law court on medical leave for more than six months — at an estimated cost to the state of nearly $100,000.

McManus has been on leave since March 3, the day before she was scheduled to be in San Francisco for a meeting of a collaborative justice courts advisory committee. She missed that meeting after having car trouble in Sacramento, according to Nevada County Superior Court Executive Officer Sean Metroka.

McManus was appointed to the bench in December 2005 and ran unopposed for election in June 2008. Her term expires in 2014.

“I don't know what her status is, other than that she is still on medical leave,” Metroka said Tuesday.

“We're covering her court.”

But the clock might be ticking for McManus, after a mandatory reporting deadline triggered “monitoring” action by the state Commission on Judicial Performance.

The judge's seat in Family Court is now being filled by Judge Jane York Punneo from the state's assigned judge program, which is staffed by retired judges.

The state's cost to fill a judge's seat is $715.15 per day, said Administrative Office of the Courts spokesman Philip Carrizosa. Metroka said that from March 4 through Tuesday the program had covered 137 days for McManus.

Prior to her Superior Court appointment, McManus served Nevada County as deputy county counsel (2001-05) and deputy district attorney (1990-2001). She also served as a deputy district attorney in Calaveras County (1986-90) and Amador County (1986-88).

California Superior Court judges earn $178,789 annually, according to the Administrative Office of Courts.

Metroka said he could not confirm whether McManus was receiving full pay at this point, as judges are paid through the state's controller office.

“It is unusual for an elected official to be out of work for that length of time,” Metroka said, adding that it is not unheard of, however.

McManus was also on medical leave for at least three weeks in 2009, after being hospitalized for injuries she sustained in a 15-foot fall from the deck of her home.

Metroka said any concerns over McManus' continued absence are not the local court's issue, but are the responsibility of the Commission on Judicial Performance and the Judicial Council, which is responsible for improving the statewide administration of justice in California's court system.

But according to Victoria Hanley, the spokeswoman for the Commission on Judicial Performance, the local presiding judge — in this case, Thomas Anderson — must notify the commission of any absence that extends beyond 90 court days, at which time it will begin monitoring the situation.

Anderson confirmed he had been in touch with the commission, saying, “Every time the doctor weighs in with a notice, I forward it on ... (The commission) is driving the boat at this point, as to whether or not she'll be able to return to work. That's under the state's review.”

The commission is an independent state agency that investigates complaints of judicial misconduct and judicial incapacity and disciplines judges.

The commission's authority is limited to investigating allegations of judicial misconduct and, if warranted, imposing sanctions ranging from confidential discipline to removal from office.

The commission's work is not entirely complaint-driven, Hanley said; investigations could also be spurred by news articles and appellate decisions, for example.

Hanley would not comment on McManus, saying all complaints and investigations are confidential.

The commission can retire a judge for “a disability that seriously interferes with duties and is likely to become permanent,” she said, adding, “There is not really a timeline for this.”

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.