Dedication a Success!

Bright sunshine and clear blue skies greeted the 400 invited guests at yesterday’s 4/3 Courthouse Dedication.

Court administrative Kevin Stinson welcomed the crowd and Toni Cajigal called the court to order, as the dedication proceeded as a special session of the court. Presiding Justice David Sills . . . well . . . presided, and spoke eloquently on the team effort behind the courthouse project. Those he thanked included State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, former state senators Joe Dunn and Dick Ackerman, and fellow speakers Chief Justice Ronald George, AOC director Bill Vickrey, and Santa Ana mayor Miguel Pulido. Leaders of the design and construction teams also praised the collaborative effort (Carrier Johnson and Heery International, respectively). Justice Eileen Moore received multiple thanks for her work on the student artwork project for the courthouse lobby. And OCBA President Lei Lei Wang Ekvall congratulated the court on an impressive building that matches the high caliber of its justices.

After the dedication, guests toured the first and third floors of the courthouse. I had the privilege of escorting Courthouse Advisory Committee member Eugen Andres and his lovely wife, as well as appellate aces Marj Fuller and Lisa Wiley.

I was also able to repeat my thanks to Justice Fybel, Justice Bedsworth, Judge Jacki Brown, and Judge Michael Hayes, who (along with Judge Andy Banks, Commissioner Paula Coleman, and Judge John Woolley (ret.)) brought their dignity and wisdom to my Inn of Court’s Judges’ Night presentation.