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9th Circuit Judicial Conference to convene in Calif.
SAN FRANCISCO—The 2014 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference will be held July 14-17, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey, California. The conference is authorized by law “for the purpose of considering the business of the courts and advising means of improving the administration of justice within the circuit.”
The conference provides an exceptional educational program and facilitates circuit governance through numerous business meetings. Conferees include judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. district courts and U.S. bankruptcy courts in nine western states and two Pacific island territories; lawyers practicing in these courts; court staff; and special guests. For space and security reasons, attendance is by invitation.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Access to Justice” in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing the right of indigent criminal defendants to court-appointed legal counsel. The program features presentations on Gideon; the inter-relationships between court decisions and law enforcement practices; the ongoing debate over discovery in criminal cases; the resiliency of the Constitution; and how the current crisis in legal education is affecting the courts. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy will attend the conference and participate in the program.
The U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit consists of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the federal trial and bankruptcy courts and related court units in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, the U.S. territory of Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (PR)
