For Immediate Release: October 27, 2014
For Info, Contact: Kathleen Russell
Dozens To Demand a Public Hearing on California’s Broken Court System at Today’s Judicial Council Meeting
Organizers say California Courts are Routinely Enabling Abusive Parents to Kill & Harm Children
SAN FRANCISCO- The grandmother of rape and murder victim Alycia Mesiti Allen and a whistleblowing former judicial employee will be among dozens of lawyers, litigants and court reform advocates from across the state to testify about the spiraling crisis in California’s judicial system at today’s Judicial Council of California meeting. The unusually large turnout will test the efficacy of the Council’s new public access protocols at a meeting that rarely, if ever, draws public testimony. Public testimony, which will demand a lengthier public hearing on the court crisis, is scheduled to occur from 3:05 – 3:35 pm today at 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.
“Far too many kids are being unnecessarily killed by a parent or forced to live with an abusive parent because meaningful oversight or accountability within the judicial branch is nonexistent,” said Center for Judicial Excellence (CJE) Executive Director Kathleen Russell.
The concerns to be raised about the California courts today include the elimination of court reporters from courtrooms, a broken writ and appeals process, judges not following the law, a lack of oversight of the judicial branch, the improper delegation of judicial authority, and other grievous concerns that have resulted in the needless deaths of far too many California children in recent years. CJE’s research on children murdered by a divorcing parent was cited by USA Today reporter Marisol Bello in this past weekend’s article When Parents Kill: FBI Data Reveal Disturbing Patterns.
More than 60 people from 16 different California counties descended on the Judicial Council Headquarters in San Francisco on September 19th to request both a public hearing and a private audience with the Chair of the Judicial Council to discuss their mounting concerns about the judicial branch. The Judicial Council’s Office of General Counsel senior attorney Bob Buckley directed the crowd that day to speak at today’s Judicial Council meeting. To read a copy of CJE’s Official Statement to the Judicial Council for today’s meeting, click here.
VIDEO CLIPS
Click here to watch a short video clip of longtime Los Gatos Attorney Robin Yeamans discussing the crisis.
Watch a short video clip of our 9/19/14 conversation with Judicial Council attorney Bob Buckley Who’s In Charge of Judicial Employees?
Meeting Location
Ronald M. George State Office Complex
William C. Vickrey Judicial Council Conference Center, Malcolm M. Lucas Board Room
455 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, California 94102-3688
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View Original 10/27/14 Release Here (PDF)
