Judge Junctions

This past week was a heavy one for me for extracurricular appellate activities. (That's a lot easier to write than to say.) On Wednesday, I attended the annual luncheon the LA County Bar Association Appellate Courts Committee throws in honor of the California Supreme Court. (Although I've been a committee member for over five years, this is the first such luncheon my schedule permitted me to attend.) The keynote speaker was LA Times reporter and bureau chief Jim Newton. The appropriate part of his speech was an excerpt from his forthcoming biography of California Governor and revolutionary US Supreme Court chief justice Earl Warren. The inappropriate part was a jeremiad about journalistic access to the courts and to police personnel records. Considering that this is a topic that is bound to come before the California Supreme Court and the lower appellate courts shortly, subjecting the Supreme Court and appellate court justices attending to essentially an ex parte argument on these subjects, while they were a captive audience, was a bit embarrassing.

I engaged in a more fun activity yesterday, when I was a volunteer judge for the Roger Traynor Moot Court Competition, held by the Witkin Institute. Law schools throughout California vie against each other in the Competition; and the Institute invites both sitting appellate justices and (ahem) experienced appellate attorneys to act as judges. This year had the added bonus of using a case for the argument that dealt with liability for a dangerous condition of public property -- an area of law I know well, having defended such cases for over 15 years and having written amici curae briefs before the state Supreme Court in key dangerous condition cases.

Preparation for the judging was burdensome -- I was reviewing the record and sample briefs after midnight on Friday, as well as Saturday morning -- but the judging itself was a blast. I got to wear a robe, and was allowed to gently terrorize these incredibly bright students with sharp questions challenging their positions. On the morning round, Second Appellate District justice Dennis Perluss was on my panel as our presiding justice; on the afternoon round, Steve Renick, an attorney with whom I've often worked, was on my panel as an associate justice. Two bonuses for the competition: It was held at Southwestern Law School, which occupies the gorgeous art deco Bullocks Wilshire Building near downtown LA; and at the end of the day Amy and I were treated to a delicious catered dinner in the Louis XVI room of the building.