United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

The Eastern District of Washington has developed a program to help individuals on federal supervision get their lives on track and leave supervision earlier. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g39_C3Vd Kyle Ward graduated from the program June 5, 2024, and is positive about the program and the boost it has given him: he has his addiction under control and discovered he is good at social work. “I’m now a house manager at a treatment facility and I’ve been here about eight months. It is a paid position and in an in-patient facility. Now, I am on the front lines with everybody. I get to see people who were in my position when I came in. I used to work in manual labor jobs and social work has been pretty good to me,” he said. The Sobriety Treatment and Education Program (STEP) reentry program is for individuals on federal supervision who have substance addictions. Clients must stay away from drugs and alcohol, try hard to find employment and stay employed, reestablish relationships with family members, pursue educational opportunities and attend to their overall health and well-being to stay in the program. One thing that was easier than expected was “staying clean,” Ward said. “I had some good words from Judge Ekstrom. At one point, where I was letting myself use and get high and relapse, he finally gave me the ultimatum of ‘you have to have perfect compliance or you go back to jail’ talk, and then it stopped. I had all my tools and everything there, I just needed that extra little push.” “He needed to be able to make a decision to stay clean,” said U.S. Magistrate Judge Alexander C. Ekstrom. I challenged him to not give himself permission. I thought I was being pretty hard on him and was worried that he would overreact. He came back early the next week a different person and I am very proud of him. He is one of the most impressive examples of change I have seen. It does not surprise me that the possibility of going to jail still sticks out as primary to him. In the end, we can catalyze change, but we don’t create it. We, and by that I mean Phil Casey and every other member of the team, provide conditions the allow participants to do the work themselves,” said Judge Ekstrom. Ward recommends the program. “If you believe you are ready for it -- when you are sure and ready, this is the place to go,” he said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit located in Portland, OR is recruiting for a Paralegal/Judicial Assistant to the Honorable Danielle J. Forrest, U.S. Circuit Judge. Please visit our Career Portal for more information: https://lnkd.in/gq7DU2he #judiciary #recruiting #hiring #openposition #jobopportunity

High school students from Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state won top prizes in 2024 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest! Ten students will share a total of $11,400, and first-place winners, along with a parent or guardian, are invited to attend the 2024 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.   The contest theme, “70 Years Later—The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education,” challenged students to write an essay or produce a video to address the theme and discuss what impact they think the Brown decision has had on the law and our society and why.   Please see the posted media release for names and schools of winners. https://lnkd.in/gKT5U3va   “Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest! Every student who participated offered a meaningful perspective on this year’s theme of “70 Years Later—The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education,” said Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia. “I am so grateful to all who took the time to reflect on this important case, whose impact we still feel today. Brown v. Board of Education is an example of the law’s influence on education—and particularly equitable, non-discriminatory education—and I am delighted that this year’s contest gave us all an opportunity to celebrate it.”   The Ninth Circuit received at total of 737 essays and 88 videos from students who competed at the local contests held by judicial districts throughout the Ninth Circuit. Of the total, 45 essays and 31 videos advanced to the Ninth Circuit for consideration. Twelve essays and 10 videos were selected for final consideration by PICO members, judges and court unit executives.   See the media release for a list of other top finishers.   The competition was open to high school-age students who reside within the geographic area of the circuit. Prizes and contest-related expenditures are funded through attorney admission fees collected by the federal courts in the Ninth Circuit to fund educational programs for the bar and community. PICO was established in 2000 by the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit, the governing body for federal district and bankruptcy courts in nine western states and two Pacific island jurisdictions. The committee seeks to promote public understanding of and confidence in the judicial system through civics education and outreach to the community and media.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit located in Phoenix, AZ is recruiting for a Librarian. Please visit our Career Portal for more information: https://lnkd.in/dkvRT8UF #judiciary #recruiting #hiring #openposition #jobopportunity

Join us in Seattle or Virtually on June 26 to hear from three amazing Ninth Circuit Judges: Chief Judge Mary Murguia, Judge Consuelo Callahan, and Judge Kim Wardlaw. These outstanding jurists were vanguard women in the law and also some of the first Latina women judges in their various roles in the judiciary. Introduction by Judge Ana de Alba, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Learn more and register here! https://lnkd.in/giE-jAXz

The United States Senate today confirmed California Superior Court Judge Dena M. Coggins to serve as a U.S. district judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. See the full media release for details: https://lnkd.in/gY4UriXj “Our court could not be more pleased by the good news that the Senate has confirmed the nomination of Judge Dena M. Coggins,” said Chief District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller of the Eastern District of California. “Judge Coggins’ impressive record of public service has paved the way for her to join our bench without missing a beat. Her confirmation and impending appointment is a credit not only to her and her family, but the Sacramento community at large.” Judge Coggins has served as superior court judge for the Superior Court of California in Sacramento County since 2021, when Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the bench, and has served as the presiding judge of the Juvenile Court since 2023. Previously, Judge Coggins served as an administrative law judge in the General Jurisdiction Division and the Special Education Division for the State of California’s Office of Administrative Hearings from 2018 to 2021 and from 2015 to 2017, respectively. Judge Coggins serves as chair of several committees of the Sacramento Superior Court and its juvenile court, including the Juvenile Court Dependency and Delinquency Standing Committees. She also serves on the superior court’s Executive Committee and Collaborative Court Committee. In the juvenile court, Judge Coggins serves on the Criminal Justice Cabinet, the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council and its Realignment Subcommittee, the Juvenile Justice Diversion and Treatment Program Workgroup and the Sacramento County Child, Youth, and Family System of Care Interagency Leadership Team.

The United States Senate today confirmed U.S. Magistrate Judge Angela M. Martinez to serve as a U.S. district judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. For the full media release please see https://lnkd.in/gf_APZxZ   “Judge Angela Martinez is the best kind of human being. She is open-minded, thoughtful, kind, thorough and a great colleague,” said Chief U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow of the District of Arizona. "We are lucky to have her join the district court bench,” he concluded.   Judge Martinez will maintain chambers in Tucson. She has served as a U.S. magistrate judge for the District of Arizona since 2023. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Martinez was a senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson where she also served as a federal prosecutor for over 12 years prosecuting a wide range of criminal cases, including immigration related offenses, drug trafficking offenses, violent crimes and white-collar offenses.   Judge Martinez has been a long-standing member of the Arizona Minority Bar Association and a member of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association since 2023. She has been a member of the Morris K. Udall American Inn of Court since 2022 and served as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference for the District of Arizona from 2018 to 2022.   The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona had 9,586 new case filings in calendar year 2023. The court is authorized one temporary and 12 permanent judgeships. Appointed under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, federal district court judges are nominated by the president, confirmed by the Senate and serve lifetime appointments upon good behavior. 

The United States Senate today confirmed Krissa M. Lanham to serve as a U.S. district judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. For the full media release see https://lnkd.in/epuMjbXM   “Krissa has been a contributing and valued member of the federal court family in Arizona for years. All of the district judges, many Arizona practitioners and much of the Circuit bench are familiar with the virtuosity of her work,” said Chief U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow of the District of Arizona. “She is uncommonly bright, hard-working and kind. She has a longstanding reputation for great courtesy. The bench and the bar in Arizona are thrilled to have her join the district court bench,” he noted.   Upon taking her oath, Lanham will maintain chambers in Phoenix. She has served as chief of the Appellate Division in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona since 2020. She joined the office as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2009 and served previously in the office as the medical marijuana coordinator, from 2010 to 2015; as the human trafficking coordinator from 2012 to 2015; and as deputy appellate chief from 2015 to 2020. Photo by Suzie Barber

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles D. Novack, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, has been reappointed to a second 14-year term effective May 13, 2024. For the full media release, please see https://lnkd.in/g3v2dkcK Judge Novack maintains chambers in Oakland and was appointed to the Northern District bankruptcy bench in 2010 and served as Northern District’s chief bankruptcy judge from 2019 to 2022. He began his legal career practicing general civil litigation in 1983. In 1991, he pursued bankruptcy law and began a two-year clerkship with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Randall J. Newsome of the Northern District of California. From 1994 to 2005, Judge Novack was in private practice as an associate then shareholder at the law firm of Kornfield, Paul and Nyberg, where he represented debtors, creditors and parties to adversary proceedings, and handled bankruptcy matters involving Chapters 7, 9, 11 and 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. He began a solo practice in 2005. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California reported 4,883 bankruptcy filings in calendar year 2023.  Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit have statutory responsibility for selecting and appointing bankruptcy judges in the nine western states that comprise the Ninth Circuit. 

Federal judicial districts throughout the Ninth Circuit have selected their local civics contest winners who will advance as finalists in the preliminary round of the 2024 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest. The circuit received 737 essays and 88 video entries, and 42 essays and 31 videos are up for consideration to be the next top winners at the circuit level contest! Read all about the district winners: https://lnkd.in/gEg2e-hH