Appellate delay working group & more

Earlier this month the Chief Justice launched a workgroup to examine appellate delay:

The official announcement is here: Chief Justice Announces New Workgroup to Enhance Timely Judgments in Appellate Courts

The workgroup will consider, among other things, measures designed to:Prevent decisional delay in the appellate courts that may cause prejudice or harm to litigants before those courts by identifying practices and guidelines concerning case processing techniques, calendar management, and the administrative duties required to reduce delays; and Provide transparency by requiring appellate courts to report age of case metrics. ... “I would like a final report no later than early next year,” said the Chief Justice, “but I have asked Justice Humes to report back as soon as practical and to make interim recommendations as necessary.”

The Recorder had: 'I Don't Know What Happened in the Third:' Chief Justice Launches Workgroup to Investigate Appellate Court Delays

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye announced ... forming a working group to scrutinize how the state’s courts of appeal handle their caseloads. The group, chaired by First District Administrative Presiding Justice James Humes, will be charged with identifying ways to prevent “decisional delays” in the appellate courts, including requiring those courts to report the “age” of cases before them.

And The Recorder also had Courts 'Can't Continue' Without More Appellate Justices, California Chief Justice Says

California needs more appellate justices, either through new positions on the existing six courts of appeal or by creation of a seventh district, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said ... Speaking to a conference hosted by UC Berkeley School of Law’s California Constitution Center, the chief justice noted Gov. Gavin Newsom has included funding for 23 new trial court judgeships in his proposed 2022-23 budget.

[The DJ had Proposed budget would give millions more to judiciary.]

The DJ had Chief Justice announces work group on Court of Appeal delays AND 3 Supreme Court justices talk about their work at law school forum.

On June 16, the DJ reported 18 Judges, lawyers, clerks will study appeals work flow:

Members [of the Appellate Caseflow Workgroup, in addition to PJ Humes] include a presiding justice from each of the other appellate districts, except for the 3rd. That district does not currently have a permanent presiding justice. Instead, the court’s newest member, Justice Laurie M. Earl, will be in the workgroup. Other members include a clerk or attorney from every district, as well as several veteran appellate attorneys.

Attorney members include Beth J. Jay, of counsel with Horvitz & Levy in San Francisco, deputy attorney general Amit A. Kurlekar, and Michael G. Colantuono with Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley in Grass Valley, who is the president of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Others include San Francisco-based Kelly A. Woodruff, counsel with the California Appellate Law Group LLP and vice chair of the California Lawyers Association Committee on Appellate Courts, and Laurel Thorpe, executive director of the Central California Appellate Program.

Law360's story was Calif. Appellate Workflow To Get Review After Justice Scolded

The DJ also had Commission confirms justice to 4th District Court of Appeal -- Justice Joanne Motoike is the first person of Japanese heritage and the first woman of color to sit on Division 3 of the court.