Leaders within San Francisco’s criminal justice system were forced this week to confront an ongoing crisis that has left some indigent defendants unable to get timely access to attorneys. 

California Lawyers Foundation joins Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative to support teens transitioning to adulthood. When You Turn 18: A Legal Survival Guide, produced as a publication of the California Lawyers Foundation, served as the template for a new program for students, thanks to the help of an intern just two-years himself into adulthood.

"Being a judge felt like something other people did, people who seemed more confident. I counted myself out." To test the idea, Diaz joined the Temporary Judge Program, presiding over small claims cases at Stanley Mosk Courthouse. "I loved it," she said. "Even when people lost, they felt heard. Pronouncing someone's name correctly, explaining the ruling, showing that you listened--it matters."

(Subscription required) AI hallucinations reveal the resilience and limits of our adversarial process. Institutional skepticism eventually catches fake cases, but only when lawyers do their professional duties.