Commission on Judicial Performance to Alert - Further impaired ability to protect the public in administration of justice in California

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February 29, 2012

HonorableEdmundG. Brown,Jr. HonorableDarrellSteinbergGovemor,State of Califomia Senate President proTem

State Capitol State Capitol,Room205Sacramento,CA 95814 Sacramento,CA 95814-4900

HonorableTani Cantil-Sakauye HonorableJohnA. PérezChiefJustice of Califomia Speakerof the AssemblySupremeCourt S t a t eCapitol350McAllisterS tre e t P .O .Box942849S a nFrancisco,CA 94102 Sacramento,CA 94249-0046

DearGovemorBrown,ChiefJusticeCantil-Sakauye,SenatorSteinberg,and Speaker Pérez:

This let teris writtenat the requestof the Commissionon JudicialPerfonnance toalertyou toaproblemthat the commissionbelievesimpairsits abilityto fulll itsmandate to protectthepublic,and underminesthe administrationof justice in courtproceedingsin Califomia. Itinvolvesdecreased reportingof courtproceedingsin Califomia’scourts of record. Thecommissiontakes no positionon how the problemshouldbe xedbut urges, fo rthe public’sprotection, thatthe problembe addressed andresolved.

In summary:

0 S o m ecourtsa recuttingc o s t sby terminating courtreporters.Nothingrequiresc om - t sto

replacecourtreporterswithanothermeans of recordingproceedings.As a result, thereare fewerofficialrecordsof courtproceedingsin Califomia’scourts of record.

0 The Conmiission,whichis responsiblefo rinvestigatingand discipliningmisconduct bystate courtjudges,is held toa clear and convincingevidencestandard in its c a s e s .W ithoutany recordof the proceedings,it can be difcult, if not impossible,to establishwhatoccurred in the courtroom,where95% of the complaintsto the Commissioneach



Honorable EdmundG. Brown,Jr.HonorableTaniCantil-SakauyeHonorableDarrellSteinbergHonorableJohnA. PérezFebruary29 ,2012Page 2

yearoriginate. In December201 1 , there were transcriptsor recordingsin onlyhalf of theCommission’spending investigationsthat involvecourtroomconduct.

0 Califomia,ordinarilya leaderin the administrationo fjustice, is fallingbehind otherstates in whichthe publicis protectedand the administrationof justice is preservedbyrecordingall courtproceedings.

0 At a minimum,action shouldbe taken to ensure that whencourt reportersare released,anothermeans of creatingan ofcialrecord is provided.

These pointsare addressed in greaterdetailin the remainderof this letter.

As Califomia’sbudgetcrisishas persisted andtrialcourt fundingwas reduced,trialcourtsindividuallybegan to imposemeasures to achieve cost reductions,includingterminationof theservicesof courtreporters. Accordingto news reports,in October,15 courtreporterswere laidoff inAlameda County;inNovember,S a nFranciscoSuperiorCourtlaid off 2 2 . Thewebsiteo fthe CalifomiaO fficialCourtReportersAssociationstates that Santa Cruz CountySuperiorCourtpulledreportersfromcivilcourts in 2010,and, a s ofOctober2011, reporters werebeing laidoffin Napaand Marin,and wamingsof imminent layoffswere beingmade in LosAngelesandVentura.' Ins o m ecounties,litigantsin civilproceedingsa n dtheircounsela rebeing told tobring theirown reportersif theywanta recordof the proceedings? If the trend continuestowardsdecreased relianceuponcourtreporterswithoutthe substitutionof othermeans ofcreatingan officialrecord,courtreporterswill be used only in the proceedingsrequiredby lawtob e reported,a n dtherewillb eQ ofcialrecord—electronicor otherwise—ofany other courtproceedings.

As youare all aware, the Commission onJudicialPerformance isthe bodyconstitutionallychargedwithresponsibilityto investigateand disciplinemisconductby s t a t ecourt judges.E a c hyear, 95 percentof the complaintssubmitted tothe commissionconcem conduct by judgesin thecourse of performingjudicialduties in courtproceedings. Because the standard of proofincommissiondisciplinaryproceedingsis clear and convincingevidence,it can be verydifficult,ifnot impossible, toestablishwhatwas said and whatoccurredin the courtroomwithoutanyrecordof the proceedings.Ove rthe pastdecade, there weresix cases in whichjudgeswereremoved'omofficeforconduct involvingcourtroomproceedings. In veof those cases, therewere transcriptsor recordingsof the proceedingsthat substantiated thecharges of misconduct.Similarly,overthe same period,in sixof the seven cases in whichjudgeswere censured fo r

' http://cocra.org/2 (Foster,Laid-OkeporlersOrganize,G e tBackingof Judgesand Ba r ,S . F.Recorder(Oct.5 , 20 11) . )



Honorable EdmundG. Brown,Jr.HonorableTaniCantil-SakauyeHonorableDarrellSteinbergHonorableJohnA. P é r e zFebruary29,2012Page 3

conduct thatinvolvedcourtroomproceedings,therewere transcriptsor recordingso ftheproceedings.

A reviewof pending investigationsinvolvingcourtproceedingsat the commission’sDecember2011meetingrevealed,however, that transcriptsor recordings existin onlyhalf of the cases,whichm e a n sthat itmay not b e possibleto establishwithcertaintywhetheror notmisconductoccurred in half of the c a s e s .The absence of transcriptsor recordingsthus impedesthecommissionin determiningthatmisconducthas occurredand in protectingthe public fromabusivejudges. Equallyimportant,the absence of a recordof courtproceedings preventstheswiftand completeexonerationof judgesby the commissionwhen appropriates ln additiontocausing anxietyforjudges,prolongedinvestigationsalso increase theirdefense costs. Forthe

commission—whichh a soperatedfo rthe p a s tseveraly e a r switha 2 5 percentreductioninstaing—other investigationsare inevitablydelayed,when extensiveinterviewsmust beconductedbecause a transcriptor recordingis not available.This situationwill becomemoreextremeif fewer courtproceedingsare reported.

Ironically,Califomia,ordinarilya leader in the administrationof justice,is fallingbehindotherstates in whichthe publicis protectedand the administrationof justice is preservedby recordingall courtproceedings.S o m emighta r g u ethat this is easierto accomplishin smallers t a t e s ,yet inNewYork,ajurisdictionwithtwicea smanyjudgesa s Califomia, allproceedingsare reported incoruts of record and, since 2008,even the 1,200courts thatare no t courts of record have beenmandated to audio recordall proceedings,on equipmentfumishedby the Ofceof Court

Administration.Thatofficealso providesremote transcriptionassistance whennecessary tomake an actual transcript.Similarly,Utahpassed legislationin 2010requiring alljustice,countyand municipalcourts to audio recordproceedingsstartingJuly 1 , 2012. Proceedingsin allUtahstate courts - the SupremeCourt, Courtof Appeals,districtcourts and juvenilecourts—arealready reported.Courtreportersand videoreportingin those courts are beingphased out infavorof audio reporting.Otherstates in which allcourtproceedingsare recordedincludeAlaska,Maryland,Massachusetts,Missouri,N ewHampshireand NewJersey. W hereaudiorecordingsare easilymade available,our counterpartsin otherjurisdictionsreportthat they areable to quicklyobtaina n dreviewthe recordingsa n dmake a prompt determination whethera ninvestigationis necessary, therebyavoidingunnecessary and prolongedproceedings.

In California,we are aware of nothingthat requirescourts to replace court reporterswithanyotherm e a n sof reportingproceedings,un l e s sa _record is prescribedby law.Wea rea l s oaware ofnothingthat requires consistencyin howtrialcourts address this problem.

’ Commissionsin s t a t e sthat h a v ereportingof all proceedings,particularlyaudioproceedings,generallyb e a rout ourownexperience thata recordofcourtproceedingse x o n e r a t e sthejudgemo r eoftent h a nno t .



Honorable EdmundG.Brown,Jr.HonorableTaniCantil-SakauyeHonorableDarrellSteinbergHonorableJohnA. PérezFebruary29 ,2012Page 4

The effecton commissionproceedings isobviouslyno t the onlynegative impactof decreasedreportingof courtproceedingsin Califomia.The eliminationof reportingof courtproceedingsislikelyto increase theworkloadof the trialcourtsand furtherdelay bothtrialcourta n dappellateproceedings.W ithoutany ofcialrecord,th etrialcourtswillb e required toproduce settledstatements in those cases in whichappealsare taken,a time-consumingand impreciseprocess atbest. The use of private courtreportershiredby one party in litigationraises numerous concems,includingthe questionableadmissibilityof the transcripta s an ofcialcourtrecord and access tojustice fo rthose withlimitednancialmeans. The public’scondencein the courts isalso _undermined. Forinstance, in a complaintsubmitted tothe commissionin October201 l, thecomplainantwrote: “Also,I feel there’s misconductalso of the courtdue to , I was just infomredwhen I was tryingto get a recordingof that hearing[], that therewas no recordingno r

transcripts!W ellhow handy.”

Thisproblemshould be addressedbefore theadministrationof justice in Californiais furthercompromised,in the commission’scases a s wella s in judicialproceedings.At a minimum,action shouldbe taken to ensure that whencourtreportersare released, anothermeans of creatinga nofficialrecord is provided.

The cormnissionappreciatesyourconsiderationof its concernsa n dwillprovideany additionalinformationthatmightbe helpfulto you.

Verytrulyyours,

\}VrctonaB HenleyDirector-ChiefCounsel

VBH:ng

c c : J o s e p hL.Durm,ExecutiveDirectorState Bar of Califomia

Commission on Judicial Performance to Alert - Further impaired ability to protect the public in administration of justice in California

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