Monday, October 5, 2020

Justice Groban Interview

The Recorder has Associate Justice Joshua Groban Opens Up About his First 2 Years on California's Supreme Court -- In an interview with The Recorder, Justice Groban discusses the California Supreme Court's statement on racism, advocacy in the era of remote hearings and his soon-to-end role as the rookie on the bench.

How are you operating your chambers in terms of clerks?

We have five [permanent] attorneys, four of them are in the Bay Area and one of them is in Los Angeles. And they’re absolutely invaluable. They’re dedicated and smart and thoughtful and have a real diversity of practice experience, which is important to me, and they’re willing to challenge me and ask hard questions and disagree where appropriate. ... 
Three of the five are women, including my head of chambers. There was a long time at the court where none of the heads of chambers were women. Now many are.
We really value diversity of experience as well. One came from the attorney general’s office. One came from a public defender’s office. One came from a large civil plaintiffs firm. One was already on the central criminal staff. And one was working for a justice on the Second District Court of Appeal. They all bring unique perspectives and unique experiences.