By William Cracraft

Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Brings Legal Luminaries and Topical, Robust Discussions to Monterey

 The 2025 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, “Floating on the Waves of Change,” held July 21-24 in Monterey, California, brought together 750 judges and lawyers to learn about and address issues facing the legal community.

The conference began with business meetings for various groups, including magistrate and chief bankruptcy judges, lawyer representatives and pretrial and probation officers, to discuss common concerns. General sessions on day one included a welcome from 9^th Circuit Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia followed by remarks from Robert J. Conrad Jr. director, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and a review of Supreme Court activities by Pamala S. Karlan and Jeffery B. Wall

A second general session on day one brought Janet Napolitano, who has held a number of important positions in government, to discuss critical legal issues she has faced in her career. Another highlight of the first day was the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest Program and Reception (see page XX for a full report).

The opening day program, presided over by Roger M. Townsend, chair of the conference and of the Conference Executive Committee, saw a presentation of the colors, signing of the National Anthem and recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the State of the Circuit address by Chief Judge Murguia. Chief Judge Murguia made two awards, the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award and the John P. Frank Award, honoring California Justice Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian (Ret.) and Arizona Federal Public Defender John Sands respectively for their dedication to the law (see pages XX and XX for details).

Chief Judge Murguia honored the Native American Tribes from the region, extended warmest regards to Renee Lorda in her retirement and thanked the conference executive committee and chair Townsend and others for their efforts in arranging the conference. Following an address by Townsend, Chief Judge Murguia noted some of the year’s highlights, including a very positive report from the AO on employee satisfaction. She highlighted that “93% (of employees) take pride in serving their court or office.” She also emphasized that the 9th Circuits new case management system, ACMS, is being considered as a national model. “(That) hard work has produced a system that is not only improving is not only improving our circuit operations but could strengthen the entire federal judiciary,” she said.

Chief Judge Murguia spoke at length about the “most serious and urgent matter we have faced, certainly this year and perhaps in a long time, and that is the growing threats to judicial independence and the rule of law.” She added that despite a historical drop in confidence in the judicial branch of the Federal Government, “there remains a core resilience,” quoting a 2025 survey which found that although trust has eroded, “a strong majority of Americans still support the courts and congress as essential checks on presidential power. The public still instinctively recognizes the court’s constitutional role. The court’s legitimacy rests on the enduring perception that judges act in good faith, applying the law impartially and dutifully.” To better understand the issues involved Chief Judge Murguia encouraged attendees to attend the Thursday general session on the independence of the Judiciary.

Chief Judge Murguia noted that it is the 100^th anniversary of the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services and introduced Chris Carrubba-Katz, chief probation officer for the Northern District of California, who introduced John Fitzgerald of the AO who spoke eloquently on the value of the pretrial and probation programs.

Over the remaining three days, general sessions, open to all attendees, covered a wide range of topics including When Disaster Strikes: Insiders’ Views on the Law of Catastrophe, AI and Copyright: A Sea Change or More of the Same? Legal Airwaves: Navigating the Law of Podcasting, Health and Incarceration, Independence of the Judiciary and Trawling for Meaning After Loper Bright.

Wednesday’s keynote lunchtime speaker was Bryan Stevenson, founder and director, Equal Justice Initiative and Thursday wrapped up with the ever-popular Conversation with the Justice, featuring U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagen, the justice for the Ninth Circuit.