The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two women Tuesday outside a Los Angeles courthouse after a hearing in a local criminal case, marking the first instance in recent weeks of the Trump administration using a tactic that has drawn condemnation from the legal community.”
The article included this statement by Los Angeles Superior Court Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II:
Federal immigration enforcement activities inside courthouses disrupt court operations, breach public trust, and compromise the Court’s constitutional role as a neutral venue for the peaceful resolution of disputes. These actions create a chilling effect, silencing victims, deterring witnesses, discouraging community members from seeking protection and deterring parties from being held accountable for their crimes or participating in legal proceedings critical to the rule of law.
In response to a request for comment by California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, a California Courts spokesperson said there was “nothing new to add to what the Chief stated in her [State of the Judiciary Address]” in March (see here) and quoted:
We can all perform our independent obligations consistent with our constitutional mandates in support of the rule of law. The federal government can focus on federal immigration enforcement; local officials can focus on local public safety; and our courts can focus on providing access to justice to all who come before us.
It is within our purview to ensure that all members of the public can freely access our state courts, to safeguard individual rights, and to promote the fair and timely administration of justice; we will safeguard our authority and responsibility to do so.
During a meeting with the media two months earlier, the Chief Justice said “we would take action” if there are “any attempts . . . to prevent people from accessing the court,” including attempts by federal immigration agents, and she stated her intent to thwart actions that would “disrupt” the public’s right to physically attend judicial proceedings. She added, “I am responsible for the administration of the courts and insuring that the public has the ability — whether you’re a witness, a victim, [or] one of the parties — to be able to freely go into court.”
