Judges & Politics: FREE Public Virtual Town Hall Judges’ Series Underway

March 2025

California Lawyers Association (CLA) and California Lawyers Foundation (CLF) have collaborated with the California Judges Association’s (CJA) Judicial Fairness Coalition in presenting a series of virtual Public Town Halls, which began in February and will continue through April. Titled, “Judges & Politics: Navigating the Intersection of Law, Power, and Ethics,” the online events are free of charge and open to the public.

“These Town Halls provide an important opportunity for the public to engage with judges in their local communities, and learn more about the judiciary and its role as a co-equal branch of the government,” says Jerrilyn Malana, CLF Vice President and Chief Deputy District Attorney at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Malana is an active leader with regard to civic education and outreach for both CLA and CLF. She moderated the first Town Hall held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. 

Malana notes that the Southern California Coast Region event was well attended. “The speakers were incredible and include highly respected judges representing the Superior Courts for San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. It isn’t often that the public has the chance to interact with the judiciary in such an open and inviting setting. The judges provided insightful information on the role of the judiciary and covered topics such as the separation of powers, our system of checks and balances, the rule of law, and the impartiality of our courts and judges.” 

Participants have the opportunity to submit questions in advance of each Town Hall. The panelists welcome the interaction with the community.

“This series of Town Halls aims to break down the barriers between the judiciary and the public, and to foster a better understanding of how our legal system works,” explains Judge Khymberli Apaloo, CJA President. “Civic engagement is more critical than ever before.”

A Southern California Inland Region Virtual Town Hall will be held on March 19, 2025, at 4:30 p.m., and another for the San Francisco Region on April 10, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. For the Sacramento Region, the Town Hall will be held in-person at McGeorge School of Law with a virtual option on April 14, 2015, at 5:15 p.m. Anyone may attend any of the events, regardless of where they live.

As the largest volunteer Bar Association in California, CLA encourages the public to consider signing up for one or more of the events. Together with its nonprofit, California Lawyers Foundation, these organizations and their members believe it is their responsibility to connect, lead, and achieve both as part of the legal profession, but importantly, to provide all people living in California with access to justice.

To learn more or register to attend, visit here.