Gridley

I. INTRODUCTION

Elsie N. Gridley (Elsie) died in May 1992 and, more than 15 years later, her family continues to fight over her estate. The backdrop for the present disputes is a March 22, 2006, petition filed by Elsie’s daughters, Patricia and Christine, against their brothers, Michael and Robert, and others, alleging fraud and other wrongdoing in connection with the sale of a substantial real property asset from Elsie’s trust estate which is referred to by the parties as the Dixon Ranch (the Dixon Ranch petition). The parties before us disagree as to whether the Dixon Ranch petition should be decided by the Honorable John Dearman, before whom it is now pending, or by the Honorable Harry T. Low, a retired justice of the Court of Appeal, who is now employed by a private mediation and arbitration service, and who was appointed a temporary judge in this case in 1994.

This and related issues reach us via three separate actions which we have consolidated. Patricia and Christine (jointly appellants) have filed two appeals from orders pursuant to which Justice Low made rulings affecting resolution of the Dixon Ranch petition. Then, after Judge Dearman filed orders…