The 2016 Ninth Circuit Judicial
Conference will be held July 11-14, 2016, in Big Sky, Montana.
The conference is authorized by law “for the purpose of considering the business of
the courts and advising means of improving the administration of justice within the
circuit.” 28 U.S.C. § 333.
The conference provides an exceptional
educational program and facilitates circuit governance through more than 30
business meetings. Conferees include judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit and the U.S. district courts and U.S. bankruptcy courts of the circuit,
along with lawyers practicing in these courts, court staff and special guests. For space and
security reasons, attendance is by invitation.
“And Justice for All” is the theme of
this year’s conference. General session topics focus on income inequality and its effects
on courts and lawyers; ensuring fair and impartial policing in the post-Ferguson era; the
legal history and unique relationships of the Native American tribes and territories in the
U.S.; a look at the psychology and neuroscience of thinking and reasoning; and how
mindfulness practices can improve legal analysis, judgment and decision-making.
The opening session of the conference
will include welcoming remarks by Montana Governor Steve Bullock and a video
message from U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana. The session will also feature a
conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy; presentation of professional
awards; and recognition of the student winners of the 2016 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest,
an educational outreach effort by all of the courts of the circuit.
Other conference programs include a
review of recent Supreme Court cases; a special session for attorneys on ethical and
practical lawyering and one for judges on the practice of judging; an information technology
program on balancing privacy and security; a presentation on recognizing and
countering implicit bias in decision-making; and discussion
of mediation techniques for judges, lawyers and mediators.
Presenters and panelists at the conference
include a number of federal appellate, district, bankruptcy and magistrate judges from
the Ninth Circuit and elsewhere; well-known practitioners; members of the
academia; and leading scientists and researchers.
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