SF Chron re Watford & more

Bob Egelko at the SF Chronicle has Supreme Court’s abortion, gun rulings prompted 9th Circuit judge to retire

• It was clear that “in most of the high-profile areas in which the court was going to issue major decisions, my own views as a judge would be out of sync with what the Supreme Court was deciding in area after area,” former Judge Paul Watford told the Chronicle last week. “It led me to start rethinking whether I would want to stay on the bench for the rest of my career.”
• So 11 years after a divided U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination by President Barack Obama to the nation’s largest federal appeals court — and seven years after Obama considered him for the Supreme Court — Watford resigned in May and joined a private law firm in Los Angeles, where he handles complex civil litigation. His unusual reasons for departing were first reported by the National Law Journal.

Law360 has Colo. Atty Suspended For Using 'Sham' ChatGPT Case Law:

A Colorado attorney has been temporarily suspended after he used "sham" case law citations produced by the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT in a motion and lied to a judge that an intern produced the errors, according to a state disciplinary ruling.

The Third Appellate District is pleased to announce the re-opening of its historic courtroom for oral argument. The Third Appellate District’s preferred format for oral argument is in-person. Requests for remote oral argument must be in writing and will be granted only upon a showing of good cause. You will find information about the calendar and Procedures for Oral Argument on the court’s Calendar page.

The 6th District alerts us that: The Clerk’s Office window will be closed on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, from 11:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST. The drop box on the 10th floor, next to the Clerk’s Office at 333 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA, will be available to the public for dropping off documents.

BASF's Appellate Section's holiday party will be Nov. 30 (5-7 p.m.) at Toy Soldier.

LACBA's Appellate Section's holiday party will be Dec. 1 (6-9 p.m.) at the FourFortyFour South Flower Event Center.

Judicial Council Honors 2023 Distinguished Service and Aranda Access to Justice Award Recipients -- See photos and videos from the awards presentation held earlier this month to honor this year’s honorees, e.g., PJ Edmon, Justice Slough, etc.