(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), the judicial duties to be performed under this title are subordinate judicial duties within the meaning of Section 22 of Article VI of the California Constitution and may be performed by appointed officers such as court commissioners.
(b) The judicial duties to be performed in the determination of the following matters are not subordinate judicial duties:
(1) A contested claim of exemption.
(2) A contested motion for determination of the liability and damages for wrongful attachment.
(3) A contested third-party claim.
(4) A contested proceeding to enforce a third person’s liability.
(c) Nothing in subdivision (b) limits the power of a court to appoint a temporary judge pursuant to Section 21 of Article VI of the California Constitution.
(Amended by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1198, Sec. 23. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 70 of Ch. 1198.)