Goodwin Liu confirmed to California Supreme Court

August 31st, 2011

From the San Jose Mercury News:

UC Berkeley law professor Goodwin Liu’s path to a prestigious judgeship took much longer than expected and was full of political detours, but he has reached his destination.

A three-member state commission Wednesday unanimously approved Liu’s nomination to the California Supreme Court, just a few months after it appeared his aspirations to become a judge would be dashed when Senate Republicans torpedoed his long-stalled bid for a spot on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation’s largest appeals court.

Liu’s confirmation to the state Supreme Court not only boosts the career of a 40-year-old liberal legal superstar, but gives California’s seven-member high court a majority of Asian justices for the first time in history.

What Were They Thinking

March 4th, 2011

In the March 2011 issue of the California Lawyer, Gerald F. Uelmen writes about the ten ‘most outlandish opinions’ of the California Supreme Court.  [What Were They Thinking?: The California Supreme Court’s Ten Most Outlandish Opinions, by Gerald F. Uelmen, March 2011, California Lawyer.)

Read the article for the full details, but the cases were selected for their “sheer outlandishness, either in style or in substance.”

Former Justice Carlos Moreno to Join Irell & Manella

March 1st, 2011

From DBusinessNews:

Los Angeles – LOS ANGELES, Calif. -– (March 1, 2011) – Irell & Manella LLP announced today that former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court Carlos Moreno will join the firm this month.

“Justice Moreno’s unparalleled intellect, integrity, and scholarship are legendary in the California legal community,” said Elliot Brown, Irell & Manella managing partner. “We are thrilled that he has chosen to make Irell & Manella his new home as he enters private practice. He will be an important addition to our litigation, appellate, ADR, class action defense, and internal investigations practice groups.”

Read the full story here.

California’s 28th Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye

February 17th, 2011

From the Court’s Press Center:

Learn about California’s 28th Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and the judicial branch leadership transition process—from Governor Schwarzenegger’s nomination to Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye taking oath on Jan. 3, 2011.”


California chief justice shares her story with UC Davis students

February 11th, 2011

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye spoke at UC Davis on Friday February 11th, sharing her story with law school students.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/11/3395699/california-chief-justice-shares.html#ixzz1DhO0BAsR

California Chief Justice Ronald George leaves historic legacy

January 3rd, 2011

California Chief Justice Ronald George leaves historic legacy

Los Angeles Times

PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO — Faced with the self-assigned task of writing the California Supreme Court’s first ruling on gay marriage, Chief Justice Ronald M. George drafted an opinion in early 2008 with two different endings. One gave same-sex couples the right to marry. The other didn’t. Then he asked the six associate justices for reaction….

Read the full story here.

State’s new top judge shares experiences at Antioch high school academy

December 14th, 2010

From the Contra Costa Times, Paul Burgarino writes:

“Tani Cantil-Sakauye told about 400 law academy students at Deer Valley on Monday that she draws on the lessons she learned growing up the youngest of four children, including her involvement in high school extracurricular activities and waiting tables through college, to deal with the rigors of being a judge.

“With all the things you do, you can build the house of your dreams,” she said.

Cantil-Sakauye, 51, will be only the second female Supreme Court chief justice in the state’s 148-year history and the first of Filipino descent. She will replace Chief Justice Ronald George, who is retiring after 14 years, on Jan. 3.”

Read the full article here.

Cantil-Sakauye sworn-in as California Supreme Court Chief Justice

December 3rd, 2010

From the Sacramento Bee:

Tani Cantil-Sakauye was sworn-in today by outgoing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to become chief justice of the California Supreme Court, beginning Jan. 3.

The 51-year-old Sacramento resident will be the first woman and first non-white person to lead the state’s highest court, replacing retiring Chief Justice Ronald M. George.

A graduate of the UC Davis School of Law, Cantil-Sakauye has served as a deputy legal affairs secretary to then-Gov. George Deukmejian, a Sacramento County deputy district attorney, and as a Municipal and Superior Court judge.

And from Courthouse News:

Of Cantil-Sakauye, he [Schwarzenegger] said, “She’s a living, breathing example of the American dream. She waited on tables to put herself through college and law school. What an inspiring example for young boys and girls.”
He added: “The people of California agree,” referring to the 2-1 margin of voters who confirmed her on Nov. 2.

To view the swearing in, click here.

New Book on Justice Jesse W. Carter

October 8th, 2010

New book:  The great dissents of the “lone dissenter” : Justice Jesse W. Carter’s twenty tumultuous years on the California Supreme Court / edited by David B. Oppenheimer, Allan Brotsky ; contributions by Jessica L. Beeler (Published by Carolina Academic Press, 2010)

Contents:
  • Jesse W. Carter / by Joseph R. Grodin
  • In defense of dissents / William J. Brennan, Jr.
  • Dissent / by William A. Fletcher
  • Justice Carter’s role in the Caryl Chessman cases : due process matters / by Susan Rutberg
  • Justice Carter’s dissent in People v. Gonzales : protecting against the “tyranny of totalitarianism” / by Rachel A. Van Cleave
  • Justice Carter’s dissent in People v. Crooker : an early step towards Miranda warnings and the expansion of the Fifth Amendment to pre-trial confessions / by Helen Y. Chang
  • “The hysteria of our times” : loyalty oaths in California / by Marc Stickgold
  • Justice Carter’s dissent in Hughes v. Superior Court of Contra Costa County : harbinger of the 60s civil rights movement and affirmative action? / by Frederic White
  • Payroll Guarantee Association, Inc. v. the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District : denying hecklers the right to veto unpopular speech / by David Zizmor and Clifford Rechtschaffen
  • Justice Carter’s dissent in Takahashi v. Fish & Game Commission : taking a stand against racial discrimination / by Jessica L. Beeler
  • Justice Jesse Carter’s passionate defense of workers’ rights : challenging the majority’s “legal legerdemain” / by Marci Seville
  • Justice Carter, contributory negligence and wrongful death : a call to get rid of a “bad law with bad results” / by Michael A. Zamperini
  • Kurlan v. CBS : Justice Carter’s prescient dissent-a glimpse into the future of copyright protection in the entertainment industry / by Marc H. Greenberg
  • Justice Carter’s dissent in Gill v. Hearst Publishing Co. : foreshadowing privacy concerns for an age of digital cameras, video voyeurism, and Internet excess / by Markita D. Cooper
  • The plight of the derivative plaintiff : Justice Carter’s dissent in Hogan v. Ingold / by Michele Benedetto Neitz
  • Carter’s dissent in Simpson v. City of Los Angeles : a precursor to the animal rights movement / by Janice Kosel.

Divided 4-3, Justices OK Writ Shortcut

February 2nd, 2010

Divided 4-3, Justices OK Writ Shortcut

The Recorder

By Mike McKee

February 2, 2010

“SAN FRANCISCO — Contrary to appellate specialists’ hopes, a split California Supreme Court on Monday approved appeal courts’ use of so-called Palma notices to stay proceedings in which trial judges have issued obviously erroneous rulings.”

Brown, Winfield & Canzoneri Inc. v. Superior Court (Great American Insurance Co.)