At her State of the Judiciary address to the Legislature yesterday (video here; transcript here), Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero expressly eschewed “controversial statements or divisive rhetoric,” but nonetheless spoke in terms starkly at odds with the current federal administration’s policies.
During the speech, the Chief Justice criticized “federal immigration policies and enforcement” that have “interfere[d]” with California courts’ core functions. She said that “public apprehension has continued to grow because of the way federal enforcement action has occurred, including the presence of federal officers in at least 17 of our state courthouses,” and claimed that “these developments raise profound questions about access to justice, community trust, and the safety of individuals seeking legal remedies.”
Guerrero reported that, in response, the Judicial Council has “provided extensive training for our courts on federal executive orders, the legal implications of immigration activity at courthouses, and relevant California statutes that are designed to uphold the principle of equal justice under the law.” And she pledged to “continue to do everything within our power 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.”
Although not mentioning the federal government’s aversion to all types of diversity efforts, the Chief Justice thanked Governor Newsom for “diversifying California’s judiciary in a meaningful way,” noting that, of his judicial appointments, “more than half have been women, and more than half have been people of color.” She also noted that, with her as the state’s chief justice and Monique Limón and Robert Rivas as Senate president pro tem and Assembly Speaker, “this is the first time Latinos are the leaders of two branches of government — the judiciary and both houses in the Legislature — for the first time in California’s history.”
With the five remaining associate justices looking on, she also teased that the Supreme Court, shorthanded for five months, might be back to full strength in the near future. Guerrero said Newsom has made 695 judicial appointments, “with one more coming soon.”
The Chief Justice devoted a portion of her address to attacks on judges. Again without mentioning any federal officials, she asserted that “a marked increase in negative rhetoric surrounding judges, including from elected officials, has contributed to” concerns about “significant safety risks” to judges. She said the Judicial Council “has made judicial security a legislative priority.”
The wide-ranging 28-minute speech covered a number of additional topics, including the benefits of remote court proceedings, CARE Act courts, the need to fund additional judgeships and to increase judicial salaries, court use of artificial intelligence, and steps taken in response to the “disastrous” February 2025 bar exam.
Media coverage of the address includes:
Malcolm Maclachlan in the Daily Journal: “Chief Justice warns of threats to judges, potential clash with White House.”
Cheryl Miller in The Recorder: “California Chief Justice Asks Legislature to Help ‘Significantly Underpaid’ Judges.”
Emily Sawicki for Law360: “5 Takeaways From California’s 2026 State Of The Judiciary.”
