PALMDALE - Federal judges and aerospace-engineering instructors have replaced the Superior Court judges who used to preside over civil cases at the Palmdale Courthouse. Instead of ruling on family law and civil matters, the federal judges are handing down rulings on disagreements over Social Security benefits. The judicial officers are administrative law judges who hear appeals concerning federal retirement, survivors, disability and supplemental-security income benefits, city spokeswoman Barbara La Fata said. The judges are employed by the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings and Appeals, La Fata said. Since late November, the judges have been traveling to Palmdale to hear...