https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/ en https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/judicial-council-announces-2025-distinguished-service-award-recipients Judicial Council Announces 2025 Distinguished Service Award Recipientselaine.chan Mon, 10/13/2025 - 13:55 News Release The Judicial Council of California today announced three recipients of its 2025 Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes people and organizations for their extraordinary leadership and contributions to the administration of justice in California. This year’s recipients are Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert, Judge Jonathan Conklin, and Court Executive Officer Rebecca Fleming. This year’s Aranda Access to Justice Award will be awarded to Judge Bruce Chan and Judge Samantha Jessner. Co-sponsored by the Judicial Council, the California Judges Association, the California Lawyers Association, and the Commission on Access to Justice, the award honors a judge who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to improving access to our courts, and who has significantly improved access for low- and moderate-income Californians. “We honor this year’s recipients for their exceptional contributions to the state’s judicial branch,” said Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. “Through their dedicated service and commitment, these court leaders have expanded access to justice and inspired us all to continue improving the administration of justice for all Californians.” This year’s Distinguished Service Award recipients are: Presiding Justice Arthur GilbertCourt of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Six (Ventura) Throughout his 50 years on the bench, Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert has sought to improve the statewide administration of justice. He has served on many Judicial Council committees, including the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel, Advisory Committee on Legal Forms, and the Center for Judicial Education and Research Governing Committee. Having a passion for judicial education and raising the public’s awareness of the courts, Presiding Justice Gilbert has served as faculty for many judicial education programs, lectured frequently at State Bar events, and participated in moot court sessions at law schools. His long-time monthly Daily Journal column “Under Submission” also serves to spread his knowledge of the courts and the rule of law to fellow judges and attorneys. In addition, his “Gilbert Submits” blog features popular legal commentary from his Daily Journal columns—more than 300 pieces spanning two decades, compiled into two books. Presiding Justice Gilbert began his judicial service at the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1975, was appointed to the Court of Appeal by former Governor Jerry Brown in 1982, and became presiding justice of his division in 1999. He has served on several Governors' judicial selection committees to help recruit and evaluate qualified applicants for judicial appointment, helping to diversify the applicant pool to communities that have been underrepresented.   Judge Jonathan ConklinSuperior Court of Fresno County Judge Jonathan Conklin has dedicated 40 years to public service, including 20 years as a superior court judge in Fresno County. As presiding judge of the Fresno Superior Court from 2014 to 2015, and a longtime member of the court’s executive committee, Judge Conklin helped lead the court through significant budget challenges, including the closure of rural branch courts while expanding remote access through video proceedings, electronic warrants, and e-filing. He has been a key figure in the court’s judicial education and access to justice efforts. He led the court’s participation in the Fresno County High School Mock Trial Program for 20 years, and also participated in the High School Youth Court Program for well over a decade. From 2018 to 2024, Judge Conklin served on the Judicial Council. Prior to that, he contributed to important Judicial Council workgroups. Those included the Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force, which developed the Strategic Plan for Language Access in the California Courts. Conklin also helped lead the AB 1058 Funding Methodology Workgroup which addressed funding for Child Support Commissioners and Family Law Facilitators.  For the past decade, Judge Conklin has chaired the council’s Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee. In that role, he has guided the council in assessing new approaches to achieving greater equality in trial court funding. Judge Conklin’s leadership has been instrumental in promoting equal access to justice and strengthening the administration of California’s courts, especially during times of budget challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.   Rebecca FlemingCourt Executive Officer, Superior Court of Santa Clara County Rebecca Fleming has devoted her career to strengthening California’s judicial branch, including serving in senior management roles for more than 18 years before becoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Santa Clara Superior Court in 2017. Fleming has led numerous innovative technological initiatives to improve public access and streamline internal court operations. During her tenure at the Santa Clara Superior Court, she implemented solutions that allow the public to remotely view case information, pay fines and fees, and access real-time court updates, significantly reducing the need for in-person visits. As a vital liaison between her court and county government, Fleming fosters collaboration that enhances community understanding of the courts’ role and promotes civic engagement. Under her leadership, the Santa Clara Court has been repeatedly recognized for its outreach efforts and dedication to public service. These efforts include Law Day contests for students, youth artwork displays in courthouses, and events designed to inspire future legal leaders. Fleming is also a strong advocate for statewide funding equity. In addition to serving as vice-chair of the council’s Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee (TCBAC) since 2013 and co-chair of its Funding Methodology Subcommittee from 2015–2023, she has testified before the California Legislature and worked to help create viable budget solutions during years of financial uncertainty. Throughout her tenure on the council, Fleming has championed initiatives promoting equal access to justice, including policies designed to address the shortage of court reporters, improve interpreter services for limited English speakers, and standardize court data collection. More information on the Distinguished Service Awards and previous recipients Aranda Access to Justice Award Judge Bruce ChanSuperior Court of San Francisco County As the founding judicial leader of San Francisco’s Young Adult Court (YAC), Judge Bruce Chan has spent the past decade creating a model of collaborative justice that expands access to meaningful court engagement for low-income young adults, many of whom have experienced poverty, abuse and neglect, community violence, homelessness, and systemic marginalization. First of its kind in the nation, the YAC was established in 2015 to provide accountability and transformative opportunities based on the neuroscience of the developing brain and the unique needs of young adults ages 18–25. It operates as a collaborative court for transitional-age youth facing felony charges who seek to have their records expunged in exchange for successful participation in and graduation from the program. Judge Chan also champions inter-disciplinary training for members of the collaborative court, including motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy, and integrating clinical best practices into courtroom procedures. YAC has inspired similar efforts across the country—Judge Chan and the YAC team have presented over the past ten years at a number of meetings convened by the National Conference of State Legislatures, National League of Cities, and National Center for State Courts.   Judge Chan is a founding member and past chairman of Asian American Recovery Services, formerly the largest provider of substance abuse services to Asian Pacific Americans in California. He was also a member of the task force that established a drug treatment court in the San Francisco juvenile court.   Judge Samantha JessnerSuperior Court of Los Angeles County Judge Samantha Jessner was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007 and served as the court’s presiding judge from 2023–24. During her tenure as presiding judge, she was instrumental in increasing access for court users and the public. As the largest court in the nation, the Los Angeles Superior Court has experienced a significant surge in annual unlimited civil filings since 2008. To ease this backlog, Judge Jessner launched a Pathway Pilot Program for processing unlimited civil filings, an innovative and expansive effort to streamline case processing and promote timely access to justice. In addition, she created the Mediation Volunteer Program, a free or low-cost court-connected mediation program in which certified mediators volunteer their time to resolve civil matters for litigants who cannot otherwise afford a private mediator. In tackling the chronic court reporter shortage, Judge Jessner led her court’s efforts to introduce an internal court reporter training program and enhance incentives for recruitment, offering a paid internship, retention and signing bonuses, and a relocation reimbursement benefit. Recognizing that recruitment alone could not fill all gaps, Judge Jessner also led the expanded use of electronic recording in certain family law, probate, and civil proceedings when no court reporter is available. The goal is to preserve litigants’ access to a verbatim record in situations where fundamental constitutional rights might otherwise be impacted. Under Judge Jessner’s leadership, the Los Angeles Superior Court is one of the first courts in California to partner with public transit agencies to provide free public transit to residents travelling to and from jury service, which increases access to the court, expands civic engagement, and diversifies the court’s jury pools. She also led the court’s technology innovation efforts that helped increase access and streamline the court process for the public. Those efforts included piloting a digital evidence system in the small claims department and implementing the MyCitation ability-to-pay online tool. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Superior Court implemented bail reform for non-serious, non-violent offenders. Rather than determining an arrestee’s release status based solely on a person’s ability to pay an amount of money for bail, under the Pre-Arraignment Release Protocol, a judge determines a person’s risk to public or victim safety, as well as the person’s likelihood of returning to court. This is consistent with the constitutional purpose of bail described above and ensures equal treatment regardless of wealth. Helping to expand access statewide, Judge Jessner serves as vice-chair of the council’s Information and Technology Advisory Committee and chairs its Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee. More information on the Aranda Access to Justice Award and previous recipients https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/courts-continue-modernizing-services-public Courts Continue Modernizing Services for the PublicCorren, Blaine Wed, 07/23/2025 - 08:17 Feature California appellate courts digitized their operations, saving off-site storage costs and increasing public access to records.   In Sutter County, the court created a back-up server system in the cloud that helped it restart its computer system in minutes after an outage, ensuring continuing services to the public.   In Los Angeles County, the court created a tool that allows litigants, attorneys, and court staff to view and share small claims evidence. These are just three examples highlighted during a presentation at the July 18 Judicial Council business meeting, where court leaders shared how California courts use money in the state budget dedicated to court technology to improve their internal operations and services for court users. Courts of Appeal Digitize Court RecordsThe Courts of Appeal in California had a problem: too many paper documents that were costly to store, difficult to access, and at risk of damage or loss. Money available from the branchwide Information Technology Modernization (IT Mod) Funding Grant program enabled the courts to scan 16,555,487 documents, eliminate 6,389 bankers boxes filled with papers, and save $20,111 annually in off-site storage. The project also eliminated the need for court staff to physically retrieve and photocopy records, and increased the public’s access to the records online.  “The public benefit of digitizing records and provides immediate electronic access to records is tremendous and enhances service to both court staff and to the public,” said Charles Johnson, Clerk/Executive Officer, Court of Appeal, First Appellate District. “It created significant operational efficiency, as we can pull up documents in seconds and send it to the member of the public if requested.” Back-up Servers in the CloudThe Superior Court of Sutter County had a problem: it had no contingency plan if its computer servers went down unexpectedly. The Sutter court’s IT Mod grant enabled it to create a back-up server system in the cloud in case of emergency. Fortunately, the court finished the project before last year’s CrowdStrike outage. A faulty update caused widespread problems with Microsoft Windows computers running Crowdstrike’s security software. Millions of systems crashed and were unable to properly restart in what has been called the largest outage in the history of information technology. But with its new cloud-based backup system, the Sutter court recovered its server systems within minutes, ensuring business as usual at the court by 9:00 a.m. “These are situations you hope never occur, but being prepared is critical to business operations,” said AJ Guzman, Chief Information Officer, Superior Court of Sutter County. “Our disaster recovery solution ensured timely access to justice, which is important for building and maintaining public trust and confidence in our court systems.” View and Share Small Claims EvidenceThe Superior Court of Los Angeles County had a problem: an inefficient, costly, and manual process for documents in small claims cases. IT Mod funding enabled the court to upgrade its system for handling evidence in small claims cases, which can now be uploaded, shared, and viewed online. “Now all small claims participants—litigants, attorneys, and court staff—can interact with the evidence electronically,” said Assistant Presiding Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo, Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Funding for Upgrading Court Technology to ContinueAt that July business meeting, the council also approved the next allocation of grant funding from the IT Mod program for fiscal year 2025-26. This year’s priorities include court projects related to cyber/information security, remote proceedings, data analytics, AI, and modernizing court technology infrastructure. “The technology modernization funding allows each court to identify particular needs of their communities,” said Judge Kyle Brodie, chair of the council’s Technology Committee, during the council meeting. “When awarding the program funding, we emphasize the need to use technology to improve access to our courts.” History of the Court Technology Grant ProgramThe state Budget Act of 2020 and 2021 each appropriated $25 million for the modernization of California’s trial courts through the Court Technology Modernization Funding Grant program. On July 24, 2020, the Judicial Council directed its Technology Committee to make recommendations for allocating this funding for local court projects. The Technology Committee established program requirements, a court application request process, and a method for evaluating the projects, identifying branch technology priorities, and making funding recommendations. Based on the success of these projects, the Budget Act of 2022 approved ongoing funding to continue modernizing California’s judicial branch through technology. To reflect the ongoing appropriation, the program name changed to the Information Technology Modernization (IT Mod) Funding Grant. Most recent council report on the technology grant program Watch technology projects update presented at July 18 council business meeting https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/los-angeles-court-staff-assist-court-users-affected-wildfires Los Angeles Court Staff Assist Court Users Affected by WildfiresKaren.Datangel Tue, 02/25/2025 - 13:27 Feature As residents of Los Angeles County continue to recover from the wildfires in the region, staff from the superior court are linking up with other agencies to make self-help services more accessible to those impacted. Since Jan. 14, staff from the Superior Court of Los Angeles County’s self-help centers have assisted residents on site at local disaster recovery centers at UCLA Research Park West and Altadena. The centers are supported by FEMA and mark a collaboration between various local and state agencies and federal partners, including the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Los Angeles County, and the City of Los Angeles. There are currently about 65 agencies represented at the sites. “These disaster recovery centers have been really integral in terms of allowing people to access multiple services all at once,” said Janice Shurlow, a deputy managing attorney for the court’s self-help centers in the central and eastern regions of Los Angeles County. Court Staff Provide Legal Information, Not Counsel The court's self-help staff don't represent litigants or act as their attorneys, but rather provide legal information and referrals on housing, family law, probate, and other court matters. They’ve even been able to assist with electronically transmitting documents to court users, like divorce papers and name change decrees. “We recently helped someone who had to evacuate their elderly mother,” said K.C. Thomas, a principal attorney supervising three self-help centers in the court’s northern region. “The house burned down and then the mom recently passed away, and now this woman is left to be the successor of the trust. She wasn’t sure what to do and where to go, so we were able to give her referrals to our other legal aid partners and our lawyer referral services. This is information that we usually have at our different centers, so we have all of that here.” Some residents will visit the court’s table to ask about jury service or making remote appearances at proceedings. “We get people coming in because they received their summons, but it got burned in the fire,” continued Thomas. “Our jury service line is generally automated, but they can talk with a live person to let the court know they’ve been affected by the wildfires and can request to postpone jury duty.” As of Feb. 19, the court had helped 258 court users at the UCLA Research Park West location and 312 court users at the Altadena location. Some visit the court’s table once while others come by repeatedly, as they feel eager to connect with somebody. “Sometimes I’ll be looking something up for someone and they’ll just tell me what’s been happening, why they’re here, and all the different changes that have happened in their life so drastically,” said Thomas. “They just want to have someone listen to them.” Court's JusticeCorps Volunteers Also Helping Out At least two self-help center staff volunteer at the disaster recovery centers every day. The court also deploys local JusticeCorps members to the sites. The statewide JusticeCorps program trains recent college graduates and undergraduates to provide service and neutral assistance (not legal advice) to self-represented litigants who come to court self-help centers in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area. “The staff that have gone to these sites and are there on the frontlines, talking to people who have been through so much devastation, have found this work so meaningful,” added Shurlow. The Los Angeles County disaster recovery centers are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The centers are expected to remain open until sometime in March. https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/california-judges-receive-national-lgbtq-award California Judges Receive National LGBTQ+ AwardKaren.Datangel Tue, 02/11/2025 - 18:28 Feature Trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ legal community, Alameda County Judge Victoria Kolakowski and Los Angeles County Judge D. Zeke Zeidler received the 2025 Stonewall Award from the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. About the Stonewall AwardNamed after the New York City Stonewall Inn police raid and riot of June 28, 1969, which was a turning point in the gay rights movement, the national award recognizes lawyers who have advanced lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the legal profession and successfully championed LGBTQ+ legal causes.  Judge Kolakowski and Judge Zeidler join Justice Martin Jenkins of the California Supreme Court as the award honorees from California. Justice Jenkins received the award in 2021. Judge KolakowskiElected by voters to the Superior Court of Alameda County in 2011, Judge Kolakowski is the first transgender judge in California and the first transgender person to serve as a trial court judge of general jurisdiction in the United States. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Kolakowski served as an administrative law judge and practiced as an attorney for 21 years in California and Louisiana. She is a former president of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges. Judge Kolakowski currently serves as a district co-director for California and Nevada in the National Association of Women Judges. “It’s important for people to see and understand that [transgender people] can be judges; we can be all sorts of other things,” Judge Kolakowski said in a 2024 interview. “It’s important for people to see that this is an option if it’s something that they could aspire towards, and I've been truly amazed and blessed by the number of people who've told me that they were inspired by me being a judge to enter the legal profession, or to seek public office because they knew that I had achieved this.” In her acceptance speech at the ABA's award ceremony held February 1 in Phoenix, Judge Kolakowski spoke about her journey to the bench, being a trailblazer in her profession, and being transgender today. “All the things I learned in law school about rights, equality, and freedom -- the things that this country has always stood for -- are protected by the people in this room,” she said in her remarks. Judge ZeidlerThe first openly gay man initially elected to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in 2004, Judge Zeidler had previously been appointed as a Juvenile Court Referee in 1998 and continues to focus on juvenile issues. Like Judge Kolakowski, he is also a former president of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges. “A big part of judicial ethics is about treating people with dignity and respect and ensuring others are too," said Judge Zeidler in a 2024 interview. "The court deals with people from every walk of life. Understanding the litigants who come before us is a major part of the judicial branch’s dedication to diversity and inclusion." In his acceptance remarks, Judge Zeidler spoke on LGBTQ+ history and the importance of diversity on the bench. “What history teaches us is that we need to share our stories. We need to share who we are and what our experiences are.” See Judge Kolakowski and Judge Zeidler's full remarks on ABA News. https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/judicial-council-announces-2024-distinguished-service-award-recipients Judicial Council Announces 2024 Distinguished Service Award RecipientsKaren.Datangel Thu, 08/15/2024 - 12:42 News Release The Judicial Council of California today announced three recipients of its 2024 Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes people and organizations for their extraordinary leadership and contributions to the administration of justice in California. This year’s recipients of the California judicial branch’s highest award are Justice William W. Bedsworth, Judge Terry B. Friedman (Ret.), and Court Executive Officer Melissa Fowler-Bradley. “This year’s recipients demonstrate what it means to be a public servant,” said chair of the council California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero. “Their contributions have improved access to justice in their own courts and entire statewide judicial system.” This year’s Distinguished Service Award recipients are: Justice William W. BedsworthCourt of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three (Santa Ana) Appointed to the appellate court by Governor Pete Wilson in February 1997, Justice William W. Bedsworth is the state’s longest-serving justice on Division Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal. He started his 38-year career on the bench in 1986, when he was elected to an open seat on the Superior Court of Orange County. During his career on the bench, Justice Bedsworth has been an inspiring presence within the court and the legal community. In 2000, he wrote the opinion in People v. Garcia, which state Senator Carol Migden called "the first gay rights case in the history of the world." The California Legislature explicitly referred to that opinion when it amended Code of Civil Procedure section 231.5 to prohibit any consideration of sexual orientation as a basis for the exercise of a peremptory challenge during jury selection. His legal opinions have spanned many topics, but he is recognized by lawyers for his writings on civility within the profession. Justice Bedsworth served on California's Civility Task Force, and was an outspoken voice committed to improving civility between opposing counsel and between lawyers and the bench. Equally acclaimed for his writings off the bench, through his syndicated monthly column—A Criminal Waste of Space—Justice Bedsworth has educated and entertained lawyers and non-lawyers alike. He is also an avid teacher, having served as faculty at Western State University, Chapman University, the California Judicial College, and the University of California, Irvine Law School. Judge Terry B. Friedman (Ret.)Superior Court of Los Angeles County Judge Terry B. Friedman (Ret.) served on the bench at the Superior Court of Los Angeles County from 1995-2010. He spent much of his time in Los Angeles presiding over the juvenile court. His interest and commitment to improving the court system for families and children led to his appointment to the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care. The commission provided recommendations to the Judicial Council on the ways in which the courts and their child welfare partners could improve safety, permanency, well-being, and fairness outcomes for children and families in the state. Judge Friedman has also devoted much of his time both on and off the bench to increasing access to justice for underrepresented litigants. He served as chair of the Judicial Council’s Shriver Civil Counsel Act Implementation Committee, which makes recommendations on the selection and funding of pilot projects that provide legal representation to low-income parties in civil matters involving critical issues affecting basic human needs. Prior to joining the court, he worked in private practice at the Western Center of Law and Poverty and as executive director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, which both advocate and promote fair and equal access to justice for low-wage individuals. Judge Friedman has also worked to improve the court system through his work on many statewide advisory groups, including the Judicial Council’s Executive and Planning Committee, Legislation Committee, and Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee. He also served on the Task Force on Judicial Selection and Retention, Probation Services Task Force, and Legal Services Trust Fund Commission. Melissa Fowler-Bradley Court Executive Officer, Superior Court of Shasta County Melissa Fowler-Bradley has spent 50 years in public service, the last 47 for the state’s judicial branch. She joined the staff of the Superior Court of Alameda County in 1977, moved to the Superior Court of Shasta County in 1995 to be its assistant court executive officer, and eventually was elevated to court executive officer in 2008. Fowler-Bradley has served her court with distinction, which includes leading local court improvement measures/initiatives like advancements in e-search warrants, court collections and ability-to-pay tools, case management systems, jury service, and digitizing court records, to name a few. Fowler-Bradley has also improved the administration of the California courts on the statewide level. She has served on the Judicial Council’s Court Facilities Advisory Committee, and its Cost Reduction Subcommittee. Those groups’ efforts have demonstrated to the Governor and Legislature the judicial branch’s ability to oversee the maintenance and construction of the more than 450 court facilities around the state. Fowler-Bradley has also worked to improve the judicial system through her work on many other statewide advisory groups, including the Judicial Council’s Trial Court Budget Working Group, Court Facilities Advisory Committee, Court Security Advisory Committee, Criminal Law Advisory Committee, Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee, Court Executives Advisory Committee, Court-Ordered Debt Task Force, and Criminal Justice Realignment Working Group. More information on the Distinguished Service Awards and previous recipients https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/california-supreme-court-hosts-oral-argument-los-angeles California Supreme Court Hosts Oral Argument in Los AngelesBalassone, Merrill Wed, 12/06/2023 - 12:27 News Release LOS ANGELES—The California Supreme Court on Tuesday marked its return to hearing oral argument in Los Angeles, a tradition put on hold for nearly four years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court’s tradition of hearing oral argument in Los Angeles—as one of three locations along with Sacramento and San Francisco—dates to 1878. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero welcomed attendees, noting the court has not held an oral argument session in Los Angeles since “before the pandemic” in December 2019—but were returning in 2023 to a newly renovated courtroom. The court heard five cases during the session, held in its courtroom in the Ronald Reagan State Office Building in downtown Los Angeles. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the court made technological upgrades to its courtrooms in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles to better facilitate livestreaming and remote oral arguments. Though the court resumed hearing oral argument in person, counsel still have the option to appear either in person or remotely via video. One attorney appeared remotely during Tuesday’s session. In 2024, the court will hold oral argument sessions in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco, including a special outreach session for students. https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/judicial-council-announces-2023-distinguished-service-award-recipients Judicial Council Announces 2023 Distinguished Service Award RecipientsBalassone, Merrill Thu, 09/14/2023 - 11:25 News Release The Judicial Council of California today announced two recipients of its 2023 Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes people and organizations for their extraordinary leadership and contributions to the administration of justice in California. This year’s recipients of the California judicial branch’s highest award are Justice Marsha Slough and Presiding Justice Lee Smalley Edmon. The Aranda Access to Justice Award, co-sponsored by the Judicial Council, will be awarded to Judge Mark A. Juhas. Said California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero: “These court leaders have made an impact far beyond their own courtrooms to create lasting legacies throughout the judicial branch. Their commitment to upholding our mission of diversity and inclusivity, and fair and equal access to justice has set a remarkable standard for all to follow.” This year’s Distinguished Service Award recipients are: Justice Marsha Slough Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two (Riverside) Justice Marsha Slough has been a leading voice on key branch initiatives through three consecutive terms on the Judicial Council. She chaired the council’s Executive and Planning Committee and played a key role in drafting emergency court rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped curb the spread of the virus in California jails, reduce evictions and foreclosures, and encourage the use of remote technology to maintain access to the courts. Justice Slough led a statewide Workgroup on Post-Pandemic Initiatives that examined and promoted innovative practices employed by courts during the pandemic. She also chaired the Code of Civil Procedure Section 367.9 Working Group which provided recommendations on how courts can use remote proceedings in civil cases while also providing equal access to the process for all participants. In addition to her leadership during the pandemic, Justice Slough helped lead efforts to create pretrial programs that use risk assessment tools, support services, and reminder systems that have shown promise in reducing rearrests and failures to appear for defendants released awaiting trial. She chaired the Pretrial Reform and Operations Workgroup, which launched pretrial pilots that have since grown to include programs in all 58 counties. Justice Slough served twice as San Bernardino County’s presiding judge, leading the court through budget challenges caused by the Great Recession. She also made history when appointed as the first openly gay justice on the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Riverside in 2015. Presiding Justice Lee Smalley Edmon Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Three (Los Angeles) Presiding Justice Lee Smalley Edmon has been instrumental in supporting efforts to expand the diversity of California’s judiciary. She serves as co-chair of the California Judicial Mentor Program for the appellate courts, which expanded branch diversity efforts to support attorneys interested in becoming appellate justices. She also served as the national co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, which provides opportunities for diverse law students to serve as summer interns with state and federal judges across the country. In addition to efforts to increase judicial diversity, Presiding Justice Edmon has worked to expand legal assistance to those who can’t afford it. She chaired a State Bar task force to find innovative solutions to the justice gap and expand legal help available to low-income Californians. Before being elevated to the Second Appellate District in 2014, she was the first woman to be named presiding judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in that court’s 170-year history. During her tenure as presiding judge, she worked with judicial and legislative representatives to make difficult decisions on court closures made necessary by budget cuts to the courts. She also served on the Judicial Council’s Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee when it proposed the Workload Allocation Funding Methodology (WAFM), a more equitable way of funding the courts across the state. More information on the Distinguished Service Awards and previous recipients Aranda Access to Justice Award Judge Mark A. Juhas, Superior Court of Los Angeles County, is the recipient of the 2023 Aranda Access to Justice Award. The Aranda Award is cosponsored by the Judicial Council, California Lawyers Association, and California Judges Association, in association with the California Commission on Access to Justice. The Aranda award honors a judge demonstrating a long-term, tireless commitment to improving, and promoting fairness and access to, the courts, especially for low-and moderate-income Californians. Throughout his career, Judge Juhas has worked to improve services and access to justice in family court, particularly for low- and moderate-income litigants. That work included recommended changes to statutes and court rules and helped create a program to educate and promote the practice of family law to attorneys statewide. Judge Juhas was also the longtime chair of the California Access to Justice Commission, including work to create the commission’s Incubator Project. The project is part of a national movement to connect practical training for newer lawyers to help provide affordable legal assistance to low- and moderate-income clients on a range of topics, including family and housing law, labor code violations, and consumer debt. Judge Juhas has also led efforts to improve services for self-represented litigants. He has served on the Project Advisory Board of the Self-Represented Litigation Network, the Judicial Council’s Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants, and the American Bar Association’s Standing committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants. He also serves on the Los Angeles County Law Library Board of Trustees, creating educational programs to assist self-represented litigants. More information on the Aranda Access to Justice Award and previous recipients https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/news/california-courthouse-sustainability California Courthouse SustainabilityCorren, Blaine Wed, 02/09/2022 - 11:55 Feature Responsible for maintaining more than 21 million square feet of space in roughly 450 facilities statewide, the California courts can play a significant role in the health of the environment. Recognizing this opportunity, the court system has a plan for achieving climate sustainability. The proposed plan expands on prior judicial branch initiatives to more closely align with broader executive and legislative directives by: Reducing energy use Lowering greenhouse gas emissions Moving to 100% “clean energy” One strategy deployed to reach these goals included replacing existing fluorescent lighting at courthouses with energy-efficient LED lighting. Thus far the judicial branch has: Retrofitted the lighting in 38 courthouses Saved $1.5 million in annual electricity costs Reduced 2,306 tons in annual carbon dioxide emissions The state Judicial Council, which is charged with maintaining and building new courthouses, is also installing automation systems to better regulate and track energy use at individual courthouses. The council plans to increase its communication with courts throughout the state about their energy use and provide conservation tips. In addition to improved energy-saving equipment, practices, and education, the California court system will need adequate funding for infrastructure repairs and upgrades to its building systems to meet its sustainability goals. According to the Governor's latest infrastructure plan, the state's judicial branch needs $5 billion in deferred maintenance, only topped by the University of California and the Department of Transportation. This recent article in Los Angeles Lawyer magazine by Merete Rietveld and Kartik Raj highlighted the judicial branch's statewide goals and strategies, with a particular focus on conservation efforts employed in Los Angeles County.