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2021

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Happy New Year Happy Hour!

December 15

Location: Zoom

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute on December 15, 2021, for a toast to the upcoming year. We’ll be celebrating some of the great things judges have done in 2021.

Not a complete list, but a pretty inspiring list!

Check it out

Judicial Stress and Resiliency: 2021 Pandemic Holiday Edition

December 15

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge Jeremy Fogel & Professor Terry Maroney 

Join Judge Jeremy Fogel, BJI’s Executive Director, and Professor Terry Maroney as they devote a full program to answering questions submitted by you and that they’ve encountered in their many recent conversations with judges about the impact of the pandemic on judicial stress and resilience.

Democracy and the Courts: Judicial Recusal & Ethics

December 1

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Billy Corriher, Judge Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Douglas Keith, & Judge Sarah O’Brien (ret.).

Recording

Her Honor: My Life on the Bench…What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It

November 3

Location: International House, Chevron Auditorium
Speakers: Judge Jeremy Fogel, Judge Thelton Henderson, & Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell

Recording

Berkeley Judicial Institute Executive Director Judge Jeremy Fogel, in tandem with Judge Thelton Henderson, interview 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 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.

Berkeley Boosts, Rural Judging

October 22

Location: International House, Chevron Auditorium
Speakers: Judge Jeremy Fogel, Judge Thelton Henderson, & Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell

Recording

Berkeley Judicial Institute Executive Director Judge Jeremy Fogel, in tandem with Judge Thelton Henderson, interview 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 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.

Berkeley Boosts, Rural Judging

October 22

Location: Zoom

As part of an ongoing 30-minute series, part of Berkeley Boosts, the CJRI is hosting a selection of webinars on civil legal issues during Covid-19. This program will focus on rural judging and will feature a discussion of Dr. Michele Statz’s recent research on rural access to justice considerations, with comments from Judge Gwen Topping of the Red Cliff Tribal Court. This program is supported by a generous gift from AAJ’s Robert L. Habush Endowment.

BJI Brownbag: The Supreme Court Fellows Program

October 15

Location: Zoom

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.:

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. She will be joined by Counselor to the Chief Justice Jeffrey Minear, who also serves as Executive Director of the Fellows program, and this distinguished group of fellows:

Sarah Alsaden, from the 2020-2021 class
S.E. Kramer, from the 2019-2020 class
Lilia Alvarez, from the 2018-2019 class
Matthew Sipe from the 2017-18 class

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.

Constitution Day Happy Hour

September 17

Location: Zoom

Join BJI for a virtual toast to Constitution Day!

Racism, Truth and Reconciliation in Our Courts

September 17

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge David Keenan & Commissioner Jonathon Lack

Recording

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?

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute to learn from King County Superior Court Judge David Keenan and King County Superior Court Commissioner Jonathon Lack.

Judges, Technology and Artificial Intelligence

August 18

Location: Zoom
Speakers:  Dean Tania Sourdin & Professor Peter Menell
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

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.

Happy Hour with BJI

June 17

Location: Zoom

We had so much fun at our first virtual BJI happy hour we decided to schedule a second! Come prepared to chat, make some new friends, share, commiserate and enjoy the beverage of your choice!

Academics and Social Media: The revolution will not be televised

June 4

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge Erithe Smith, Professor Bob Lawless, & Professor Pamela Foohey.
General CLE Credits Available

Recording

Seeking ways to have your academic work connect to more people?

Our conversation will celebrate Credit Slips, a blog on all things about credit, bankruptcy, consumers and financial institutions as a springboard for discussion.

There, academics discuss and debate issues for those who care about creating good policies in these areas. (They tweet @CreditSlips.) Their work has been profiled by national and local media.

We’ll use that experience for a broader discussion about how academics can use social media to have their voices heard.

Bankruptcy Judge Erithe Smith will interview blog administrator and contributor Professor Bob Lawless and contributor Professor Pamela Foohey.

Judicial Independence: The Shared Core Values That Guide Decision Making

May 24

Recording

On May 13, The Federal Judges Association offered a program on judicial independence.  BJI Executive Director Judge Jeremy Fogel moderated.  The panelists were Judge D. Brooks Smith (chief judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals), Judge Thelton Henderson retired district judge for the Northern District of California), and Dahlia Lithwick (journalist, Slate). 

This recording is posted with the permission of the FJA; BJI is grateful.

Promoting Judicial Collegiality

May 14

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge Bernice Donald & Judge Kevin Burke (ret.)

Recording

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute for a discussion of best practices that promote judicial collegiality. U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald and MN district court Judge Kevin Burke (retired) will facilitate the conversation. Just participating is a step toward greater collegiality!

Promoting Judicial Collegiality

May 14

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge Bernice Donald & Judge Kevin Burke (ret.)
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute for a discussion of best practices that promote judicial collegiality. U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice Donald and MN district court Judge Kevin Burke (retired) will facilitate the conversation. Just participating is a step toward greater collegiality!

Rurality and Judging: A brown bag discussion with Dr. Michele Statz

April 23

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Dr. Michele Statz
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

Dr. Statz’s new article, “On Shared Suffering: Judicial Intimacy in the Rural Northland,” explores the ways in which rurality impacts tribal and state court judges’ experiences on and beyond the bench.

Beautifully written, it is of interest to those in every court environment.

Law & Society Review says:

“Drawing from four years of ethnographic fieldwork, Professor Statz’s study places its readers inside the “Northland” courtrooms of rural Wisconsin and Minnesota. Her research displays the intimate relationship that judges from these communities share with their litigants and demonstrates the hardships endured by both judges and their litigants due to the consequences of rural “legal deserts,” absent health and social services, and depressed local economies.”

Google v. Oracle: An Initial Appraisal

April 20

Location: Zoom
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

On April 5, the Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in one of the most consequential copyright cases of our time, Google v. Oracle. In ruling that fair use permitted Google to incorporate elements of the Java API into its software for the Android phone, the Court clarified standards not only for fair use as applied to software but also arguably for other copyrighted works as well.

Our assessment of this momentous decision will be led by Profs. Peter Menell and Pamela Samuelson. In addition to filing amicus briefs in the case, they have written extensively about it and the broader issues of software copyright. They will be joined by Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein, who argued the case for Google, and by Prof. Sean O’Connor of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University.

Judicial Evaluation: Seeking honest feedback

April 9

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Judge William J. Lafferty III, Judge Kevin Burke (ret.), Carin T. Fujisaki, & Beth Wiggins
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute for a discussion of ideas and techniques judges seeking feedback might consider.

National Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

April 1

Recording

Virtual San Jose Rotary Meeting Featuring Jeremy Fogel Discussing ‘Courts and the Presidential Election: How the Center Held’

March 10

Recording

Psychology of Litigation

March 3

Recording

Recorded February 2021.

The Civil Rights Movement: Lessons Learned – Reflections for the Future

February 25

Presented by: The Northern District of California Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
Speakers: Hon. Thelton Henderson, Hon. William H. Alsup, & Hon. William H. Orrick

Recording

BJI is grateful to the Northern District of California Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for giving us permission to post this link.

No Courts, No Law: The Many Futures of Trial Courts

February 25

Presented by: The Daily Journal

Recording (posted with  permission)

Interactivity Tips for the “Occasional” Teacher

January 29

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Denise Neary & Beth Thornburg

Recording

Join Berkeley Judicial Institute’s Director of Judicial Education Denise Neary and SMU Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Richard R. Lee Endowed Professor of Law Beth Thornburg as they consider some tips and techniques (break-out rooms, chat, games, polls) the “occasional” teacher can borrow to make online teaching more engaging and fun.
 
Review BJI’s interactivity tips and tricks document here!

Judicial Temperament Q&A

January 14

Location: Zoom
Speakers: Denise Neary & Beth Thornburg
General CLE Credit Available

Recording

In 2020, BJI offered three programs on judicial temperament.
 
 
Some common audience questions during the programs were:
  • How do I recognize my temperamental traits as a judge?
  • What is my temperamental “envelope of possibility” for change, and how can I make the most of it?
  • How can I use this knowledge to change the temperature of an interaction in court?
  • What techniques for regulating emotion do judicial colleagues find particularly effective?

Join Judge Jeremy Fogel, BJI’s Executive Director, and Professor Terry Maroney as they devote an entire program to YOUR questions about judicial temperament. Submit your questions in advance here, bji@law.berkeley.edu, or ask them during the program.