Catching up!

All sorts of state and federal appellate news of note in the past few days!

CALIFORNIA
Chief Justice Delivers State of the Judiciary Address -- Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye released today her annual State of the Judiciary address, recorded March 10 prior to the first in-person Judicial Council meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Watch it here (12 minutes).

Guerrero Rated 'Exceptionally Well Qualified' for California Supreme Court -- Guerrero is expected to face an easy hearing Tuesday when she goes before the Commission on Judicial Appointments. ... If confirmed, Guerrero would be the first Latina to serve on California’s Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Names New Ethics Code Committee Chair
Justice Marla Miller will head the committee tasked with evaluating and proposing amendments to the California Code of Judicial Ethics.

FEDERAL
Federal Appeals Judge Suggests Yale Law Protesters 'Should Be Disqualified for Potential Clerkships' -- 
Former U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel of the Northern District of California said an email from Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman raises the question of “whether a sitting federal judge should comment on a politically charged situation because of the possible perception of bias.” Law360 has Judge Questions Clerkships For Students Who Disrupt Events

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will resume holding in-person oral arguments on March 30, 2022. The revised Protocols for In-Person and Hybrid Oral Arguments are now available on the court's website.

Law.com has SCOTUS Advocates Seek Permanent Livestreaming of Oral Arguments (The full letter can be read here.) Law360 has 40 Supreme Court Lawyers Urge Roberts To Keep Live Audio

Law.com has Judicial Conference OK's System to Automate Release of Judges' Financial Disclosures --Disclosures would be accessible online for the person who made the request to view and the process to obtain them would be quicker. Bloomberg has Judiciary Approves Own Approach on Judges’ Financial Disclosures -- The online system approved by the Judicial Conference at its biannual meeting stops short of making all financial disclosures publicly available, and focuses instead on streamlining the process for getting information to those who request it. Law360 has Federal Courts To 'Automate' Judges' Financial Disclosures. And from the Courts: Judicial Conference Adopts Transparency Measures -- 

Taking steps to increase transparency and public access, the federal Judiciary’s policy making body today approved automating the release of judges’ financial disclosure reports, amending its conflict screening policy, and expanding the scope of its audio streaming pilot project.

Judiciary Releases Workplace Conduct Working Group Report, Recommends 9 Changes to Build on Progress Made to Date -- In a wide-ranging report, the Judiciary’s Workplace Conduct Working Group said its program to ensure an exemplary workplace has achieved broad improvements, by adding abusive conduct to longstanding protections against discrimination and harassment, imposing an express prohibition on abusive conduct, and improving processes to make it easier for employees to report and resolve workplace concerns.

Ex-Judiciary Employees Tell Congress Harassment, Discrimination Policies Are 'Severely Flawed' -- 
One of the former judiciary employees is suing the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and Judicial Conference over its procedures for resolving harassment complaints. Law360 has It's Time To Hold DC Judges Accountable For Misconduct. 

Bloomberg has Judiciary Builds on #MeToo Response with New Recommendations -- Monetary remedies for judiciary workers in misconduct disputes and an anonymous nationwide survey for employees are among recommendations in a new report by a working group on judiciary misconduct.