Judge's leave of absence will burden other judges

today, judge murdoch took a voluntary leave of absence from the bench ... with many criminal cases on his schedule - some of them high profile - we sat down with the district attorney to find out what will happen to them. stuart dyson continues our team coverage -- live from district court. a huge void is how bernalillo county's district attorney describes what murdoch's sudden departure means at this courthouse - other judges scrambling to pick up his cases - and some big ones are straight ahead. " he has been a judge for many many many years - is well liked and is considered a very fair judge by both prosecutors and defense attorneys" but pat murdoch is already unofficially suspended - today's hearings taken over by other judges or postponed - and next week - a key hearing in the embezzlement case against former secretary of state rebecca vigil-giron - brandenburg says another judge can handle that one - and in fact it's easier she says to substitute judges than it is to switch prosecutors or defense lawyers. " we have to know the facts of the case - the witnesses - cross examine and be prepared - a judge needs to know the law and doesn't neccesarily know the facts until they unfold in court so it's much easier for a judge to say - okay i can be there and i can sit in the trial." another big one coming up in august - the murder trial of ronald santiago - a former mortage offivcer accused of killing a paradise hills couple in their home six years ago. pat murdoch is chief presiding criminal court judge - with a heavy load of trial cases - in addition he has taken on the jobs of overseeing the grand jury - drug court - and the early plea program

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