CLA Director of Governmental Affairs Appointed to Judicial Council Working Group

CLA is proud to announce that CLA Director of Governmental Affairs Saul Bercovitch has been appointed to the Judicial Council’s Code of Civil Procedure Section 367.9 Working Group by Chief Justice of California and Chair of the Judicial Council Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.

Code of Civil Procedure section 367.9 requires the Judicial Council to convene a working group composed of judges, court executive officers, attorneys, court reporters, court interpreters, legal aid organizations, and court-appointed dependency counsel to develop recommendations to the Legislature and Governor for a statewide framework for remote civil court proceedings and court reporter availability and workforce. In February 2022, the Chief Justice tasked the Ad Hoc Workgroup on Post-Pandemic Initiatives with recommending members for this new working group to ensure a diversity of perspectives on this important topic. 

The working group will be chaired by Justice Marsha G. Slough, associate justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, and current chair of the Ad Hoc Workgroup on Post-Pandemic Initiatives. The working group will develop recommendations in the following areas, which may differ by case type or proceeding type: 

• Statewide procedural and technical guidelines to ensure court users receive the best possible levels of service and access; 
• Case types and proceeding types for which remote proceedings are appropriate; 
• Court reporter availability and future workforce; 
• Protocols for ensuring court users fully understand their options for accessing the court remotely; and 
• Whether changes are needed to existing laws protecting the accuracy of the official verbatim record and preserving parties’ rights to appeal.

The working group will meet several times throughout the year to develop these recommendations, which are due to the Legislature and Governor by January 1, 2023. Congratulations, Saul!