Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Page 11
SNIPPETS (Column)
Judicial Performance Commission Invites Comment on Proposed Rules
The Commission on Judicial Performance yesterday announced invites public comment on proposed amendments to rules governing commission proceedings.
The proposed amendments being circulated for comment include proposals submitted as part of the 2012 review of its rules. Policy Declaration 3.5 of the Commission on Judicial Performance provides that every two years, in even-numbered years, the commission should review its rules and any proposed enactments, amendments or repeals, and seek public comment.
The memorandum inviting comment, the proposed amendments, the form for submission of comments, and the existing Commission Rules are available at the commission’s office and on the commission’s web site at www.cjp.ca.gov under “Governing Provisions.”
Some of the proposed amendments are based on suggestions made by the California Judges Association Letters containing the association’s suggestions and the commission’s reasons for circulating certain proposals and declining others are available on the home page of the commission’s website under “Recent News.”
The deadline for comments is March 18.
•The Beverly Hills Bar Association will honor U.S. District Court Judge Christina A. Snyder and attorney Marshall B. Grossman at its Third Annual Litigation Awards Dinner on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Montage Beverly Hills.
The dinner, which honors members of the legal community for their achievements, was inaugurated to further BHBA’s stated tradition of championing access to justice, the independence of the judiciary, and the rule of law.
Snyder will receive the Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence., named after the former California Supreme Court Chief Justice. Snyder was nominated to the court by then-Pres. Bill Clinton and has been active on the federal bench for 15 years.
Grossman, of Bingham McCutchen, LLP, will be honored with the association’s Excellence in Advocacy Award, which honors a successful trial lawyer who gives back to the legal profession and community. In addition to his work as an attorney in private practice, Grossman has served on the California Coastal Commission (1981-86), and the Commission on Judicial Performance (2001–10), of which he has also been the chair.
Tickets for the event are $195 per person, or $1,900 for a table of ten, before Feb. 11, and $225 and $2,200, respectively, thereafter.
Montage Beverly Hills is located at 225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
•The Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday announced that effective Jan. 2, Judge Gary Y. Tanaka has moved from Department 6 to Department 4 of the Compton Courthouse, while newly elected Judge Sean D. Coen has been assigned to Department 6 of that courthouse as his first permanent assignment.
The court also said that newly elected Judge Eric Harmon will take the bench in Department A5 of the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster on Jan. 22.
•The Anti-Defamation League, in partnership with Bet Tzedek, still has a limited number of spaces available for its Centennial MCLE Civil Rights Symposium on Jan. 25 at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Breakfast and registration begin at 8:00 a.m., with the program to run from 8:30 a.m.- noon.
Topics to be discussed at the symposium are:
•“The Federal Courts and Civil Rights Today,” with Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the UC Irvine School of Law;
•“Civil Rights Topics Facing Minority Communities,” moderated by Steven M. Freeman, director of the legal affairs department of the anti-Defamation League, with panelists Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal’s western regional office; Constance L. Rice, co-director of the Advancement Project; Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the legal Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Karin Wang, vice president of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center; and
•“Working with Challenging Clients: Ethics & Practical Solutions for Pro Bono Attorneys,” with Grant Specht, directing attorney of Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
The program includes a docent-led tour of the exhibit, Creating the United States, organized by the Library of Congress, featuring original artifacts, autographed letters, rare books and manuscripts.
The cost to attend is $36 per person.
Three hours of MCLE credit are offered – two of general credit and one in legal ethics.
RVSP as soon as possible to sworley@adl.com or (310) 446-4424.
The Skirball Center is located at 2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90049.
•Superior Court Presiding Judge David Wesley has appointed a nine-member committee to search for a new executive officer/clerk to succeed John Clarke, who is retiring in March. The committee includes three former presiding judges—Lee Edmon, William MacLaughlin, and Charles W. McCoy—as well as current Assistant Presiding Judge Carolyn Kuhl.
The others are Judges Peter Espinoza, Louis Meisinger, John Meigs, Maria Stratton, and Michael Vicencia.
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