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Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert Selected to Receive Distinguished Service Award
Access to Justice Award Will Be Conferred on Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessner
By a MetNews Staff Writer
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Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert of this district’s Div. Six is to receive this year’s Judicial Council Distinguished Service Award which recognizes recipients for their extraordinary leadership and contributions to the administration of justice.
The Judicial Council announced that award on Monday and also revealed that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Samantha Jessner has been selected for the Aranda Access to Justice Award. That accolade—in recognition of jurists who have significantly improved court access for low-income Californians—is co-sponsored by the Judicial Council, the California Judges Association, the California Lawyers Association, and the Commission on Access to Justice.
Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero commented:
“We honor this year’s recipients for their exceptional contributions to the state’s judicial branch. Through their dedicated service and commitment, these court leaders have expanded access to justice and inspired us all to continue improving the administration of justice for all Californians.”
Judicial Career
Gilbert, 87. began his judicial career in 1975 at the Los Angeles Municipal Court. He was appointed to that post by then-Gov. Jerry Brown who elevated him to the Los Angeles Superior Court in in 1980 and to a seat on this district’s Div. Six as an associate justice in 1982.
He was promoted to presiding justice in 1999 by Gov. Gray Davis. He has said that he will retire before the end of the year.
Monday’s press release highlights Gilbert’s commitment to “improv[ing] the statewide administration of justice” during his 50 years on the bench and notes the presiding justice’s service on many Judicial Council committees, including the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel, Advisory Committee on Legal Forms, and the Center for Judicial Education and Research Governing Committee.
The Judicial Council remarked that he “has served on several Governors’ judicial selection committees to help recruit…qualified applicants for judicial appointment, helping to diversify the applicant pool to communities that have been underrepresented” and said of the jurist:
“Having a passion for judicial education and raising the public’s awareness of the courts, Presiding Justice Gilbert has served as faculty for many judicial education programs, lectured frequently at State Bar events, and participated in moot court sessions at law schools.”
This year’s Distinguished Service Award will also be conferred on Fresno Superior Court Judge Jonathan Conklin and Santa Clara Superior Court Executive Officer Rebecca Fleming.
Former Presiding Justice
Jessner was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and she served as presiding judge in 2023 and 2024.
During her tenure as presiding judge, she created a pilot program to streamline certain unlimited civil personal injury cases in response to a significant surge in such filings, a move the Judicial Council called “an innovative and expansive effort” to “promote timely access to justice.”
She also created a low-cost mediation program in which certified arbitrators agreed to volunteer time to resolve civil matters for litigants who could not otherwise afford alternative dispute resolution services.
The council said of Jessner:
“Under Judge Jessner’s leadership, the Los Angeles Superior Court is one of the first courts in California to partner with public transit agencies to provide free public transit to residents travelling to and from jury service, which increases access to the court, expands civic engagement, and diversifies the court’s jury pools.
“She also led the court’s technology innovation efforts that helped increase access and streamline the court process for the public. Those efforts included piloting a digital evidence system in the small claims department and implementing [an] ability-to-pay online tool.”
Jessner serves as vice-chair of the Judicial Council’s Information and Technology Advisory Committee and chairs the panel’s Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee.
The Aranda Access to Justice Award is named after Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Benjamin Aranda III (now deceased), the founding president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. On Monday, the council announced that San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan will receive that honor.
A ceremony to honor the recipients will take place on Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. in the Judicial Council boardroom in San Francisco. Seating will be prioritized for the family, friends, colleagues, and branch partners of the honorees.
The California Courts website will host a live webcast of the event.
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