Chief Justice’s State of the Judiciary address touts courts’ pandemic response

Delivering her first State of the Judiciary speech in two years, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye declared that, during the pandemic, “the judiciary has been resolute and resilient in our commitment to access, fairness, and equal justice.”  (Here and here.) After “the pandemic crashed into our lives,” she said, “we didn’t wring our hands, we didn’t complain, we just kept going and doing.”

One of the judiciary’s initial actions was to “initiate a statewide halt on all evictions,” which is a personal issue for the Chief Justice. She recounted, “My family was evicted via eminent domain [when she was a child]. It was life-defining. It separated our extended family.”

The Chief Justice also pointed to the lesson learned from the increased use of technology for remote hearings during the pandemic that allowed for “overall greater access” to the courts.

The speech had a hint of the valedictory. She noted, “I became Chief Justice of California about 12 years ago during the Great Recession,” and remarked that those years “have been book-ended by the Great Recession, and the pandemic.” The Chief Justice has not committed to running for reelection when her current 12-year term expires this coming January.

The address was remote for Governor Gavin Newsom, the Legislature, and other state constitutional officers, but was delivered live at the first in-person Judicial Council meeting since 2020. The Chief Justice usually appears before the Legislature for her speech.