Member News

The 2022 Bernard E. Witkin Awards

January 09, 2023

Patricia Guerrero of California Supreme Court and Mary Jo Wiggins of University of San Diego School of Law are recipients of the Bernard E. Witkin Awards in Adjudication of the Law and Excellence in Education, respectively. The awards are named in honor of Bernard Witkin, a lawyer and writer that had a significant impact on the California legal field during his almost 70-year long career.

The awards, given by the San Diego Law Library Foundation, are presented annually to members of the San Diego legal community for civic leadership and excellence in the practice of law, adjudication of the law, legal education, and the advancement of access to justice.

Learn more about the awards here.

More News

See All

Members to Present at Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference

Current Challenges Facing the Judiciary

Ten years ago, Duke Law School began publishing Judicature. Among the articles published in that first Duke edition was a lecture titled “Grand Challenges, Grand Ideas,” by David F. Levi, then-dean of Duke Law School. He highlighted five key issues of keen concern to the judiciary: access to justice; justice at a reasonable cost; an independent, transparent judiciary; criminal justice reform; and maintaining a sense of purpose.

Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.