Upcoming Events
Judges, Technology and Artificial Intelligence
August 18
3:00 P.M. PT
75 minutes
Virtual
University of Newcastle (Australia) Dean Tania Sourdin’s new book, Judges, Technology and Artificial Intelligence, is described:
“New and emerging technologies are reshaping justice systems and transforming the role of judges. The impacts vary according to how structural reforms take place and how courts adapt case management processes, online dispute resolution systems and justice apps. Significant shifts are also occurring with the development of more sophisticated forms of Artificial Intelligence that can support judicial work or even replace judges. These developments, together with shifts towards online court processes are explored in Judges, Technology and Artificial Intelligence.”
Dean Sourdin will introduce her research, discuss that work with Berkeley Center for Law and Technology’s Peter Menell and engage with the audience on these key issues for justice.
CLE credit will be offered.
Resources:
Humans and Justice Machines: Emergent Legal Technologies and Justice Apps
Berkeley Judicial Institute Law and Literature programs
6 Sessions, individual registration for each
3:00 P.M. Eastern | 2:00 P.M. Central | 12:00 P.M. Pacific
90 minutes
Virtual
Join Berkeley Judicial Institute as we introduce a virtual law and literature series.
Using great works as text, these programs provide participants the opportunity to reflect on how literature provides insight into contemporary issues. All are welcome to register to participate; we ask those participating to be prepared to discuss the readings.
No promises, but we anticipate a lively, honest, and respectful exchange of views!
Professor Julie Empric of Eckerd College, whose facilitation of similar programs has been met with rave reviews, will lead the sessions.
Think of a smart book club discussion, and you will have a sense of what we are trying to achieve.
Registration for each session is limited, and you must register separately for each session of interest. Should your plans change, please cancel your registration to provide an opportunity for someone else.
We hope you will join us.
The registration links, program dates and the background readings are listed below. (As these are intended as discussion sessions, the events will NOT be recorded.)
- Session 2 | Friday, September 10, 2021| Glaspell’s “A Jury of her Peers” and Sanders’ “Doing Time in the Thirteenth Chair” (stories) | REGISTER
Suggested Text: Glaspell’s “A Jury of her Peers” | Sanders’ “Doing Time in the Thirteenth Chair,” A Paradise of Bombs, Beacon, ISBN: 978-080706343-9 - Session 3| Friday, November 5, 2021 | Mann’s Judgment at Nuremberg (play) | REGISTER
Suggested Text: Mann’s Judgment at Nuremberg, New Directions, ISBN 978-0811215268 - Session 4 | Friday, January 14, 2022 | Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (novel) | REGISTER
Suggested Text: Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Penguin, ISBN 978-0385474542 - Session 5 | Friday, March 11, 2022 | Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (play) | REGISTER
Suggested Text: Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Signet Classic, ISBN 04515268 - Session 6 | Friday, May 13, 2022 | Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars (novel) | REGISTER
Suggested Text: Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars, Vintage, ISBN 978-0679764021
Past Sessions
- Session 1 | Friday, July 9, 2021 | Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying (novel)
Racism, Truth and Reconciliation in Our Courts
September 17
12:00 P.M. PT
90 minutes
Virtual
REGISTER
In May, the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington offered an eye-opening program, Racism, Truth and Reconciliation in Washington Courts.
This program reminds us that racism has come from decisions of courts we still appear before, in buildings we still work in, and from positions which, while occupied today by different people, still exist. Through a discussion of three cases—United States v. Hirabayashi, Price v. Evergreen Cemetery Co. of Seattle, and O’Meara v. Wash. Bd. Against Discrimination, we will ask, given that these courts and positions still exist: What has changed? What hasn’t changed? What is our responsibility to tell the truth and seek reconciliation? How has racial segregation left a lasting impact on access to local courts?
Cases referenced:
United States v. Hirabayashi, 46 F. Supp. 657 (W.D. Wash. 1942)
Price v. Evergreen Cemetery Co. of Seattle 57 Wn.2d 352 (1960)
O’Meara v. Wash. Bd. Against Discrimination 58 Wn.2d 793 (1961)
Join Berkeley Judicial Institute to learn from King County Superior Court Judge David Keenan and King County Superior Court Commissioner Jonathon Lack.
BJI is grateful for the opportunity to offer this session.
CA CLE credit will be offered.
Constitution Day Happy Hour
Join BJI for a virtual toast to Constitution Day!
BJI Brownbag: The Supreme Court Fellows Program
October 15
9:00 A.M. PT
75 minutes
Virtual
Join Berkeley Judicial Institute as we explore a gem of the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court Fellows Program. Participation in this program provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the federal judiciary.
Attend BJI’s October 15 program to learn more about the Supreme Court Fellows program, and to hear from fellows whose careers have been changed by their participation.
About the Supreme Court Fellows Program
The Supreme Court Fellows program, founded in 1973, offers mid-career professionals, recent law school graduates, and doctoral degree holders from the law and political science fields an opportunity to broaden their understanding of the judicial system through exposure to federal court administration.
The Supreme Court Fellows Commission selects four talented individuals to work for one of four federal judiciary agencies for a year-long appointment in Washington, D.C.:
- Supreme Court of the United States
- Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
- Federal Judicial Center
- U.S. Sentencing Commission
About the BJI October 15 Program
BJI Research Director Mary S. Hoopes (an FJC 2017-18 fellow) will moderate the program, which will include an overview of the program and observations from former fellows. After the formal program, participants may chat in small group rooms with former fellows. Please bring your questions and comments; this fellowship program is extraordinary.
Her Honor: My Life on the Bench…What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It
November 3
4:00 – 6:00 P.M. PT
In-person (Location TBA)
REGISTER
Berkeley Judicial Institute Executive Director Judge Jeremy Fogel interviews Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell. The event will be in person at the Berkeley Law School, and is open to all Berkeley Law students.
The former state judicial colleagues will talk about ALL of the issues in the title of Judge Cordell’s book; audience questions welcome. We anticipate a lively discussion!
Judge Cordell’s book, HER HONOR, will be published in early October. Early program registrants will receive a copy of the book, and will get so much more value from the discussion by reading the book prior to the program. Thinking about service in the judiciary as part of your legal career? Interested in the court’s role in solving the pressing problems of our day? This is a program you won’t want to miss.
In Her Honor, Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell provides a rare and thought-provoking insider account of our legal system, sharing vivid stories of the cases that came through her courtroom and revealing the strengths, flaws, and much-needed changes within our courts.
Judge Cordell, the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, knows firsthand how prejudice has permeated our legal system. And yet, she believes in the system. From ending school segregation to legalizing same-sex marriage, its progress relies on legal professionals and jurors who strive to make the imperfect system as fair as possible.
Her Honor is an entertaining and provocative look into the hearts and minds of judges. Cordell takes you into her chambers where she haggles with prosecutors and defense attorneys and into the courtroom during jury selection and sentencing hearings. She uses real cases to highlight how judges make difficult decisions, all the while facing outside pressures from the media, law enforcement, lobbyists, and the friends and families of the people involved.
Cordell’s candid account of her years on the bench shines light on all areas of the legal system, from juvenile delinquency and the shift from rehabilitation to punishment, along with the racial biases therein, to the thousands of plea bargains that allow our overburdened courts to stay afloat—as long as innocent people are willing to plead guilty. There are tales of marriages and divorces, adoptions, and contested wills—some humorous, others heartwarming, still others deeply troubling.
Her Honor is for anyone who’s had the good or bad fortune to stand before a judge or sit on a jury. It is for true-crime junkies and people who vote in judicial elections. Most importantly, this is a book for anyone who wants to know what our legal system, for better or worse, means to the everyday lives of all Americans.
If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in this event, please contact Nathalie Coletta at natcoletta@berkeley.edu or 510-643-5518 with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 business days in advance of the event.