Clarke was publicly admonished by the Commission on Judicial Performance Sept. 29. His attorney said he would seek review in the California Supreme Court.

A vacancy occurred when Judge Barry Silverman took senior status Oct. 11.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on July 13 held a confirmation hearing for U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh of the Northern District of California, but did not vote on the nomination prior to the presidential election.
President Obama on Feb. 25 nominated Koh to fill the vacancy created when Judge Harry Pregerson took senior status on Dec. 11 of last year, the day he completed 44 years of active service on the federal courts. Further vacancies will occur when Judges Richard Clifton and Diarmuid O’Scannlain take senior status tomorrow.

Judge Christina A. Snyder took senior status Nov. 23.

The nomination of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Young was reported favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee Nov. 5 but not considered by the full Senate. He was nominated by President Obama on July 16 to succeed Judge Audrey B. Collins, who retired Aug. 1, 2014 to join the state Court of Appeal.

Judge Margaret Morrow took senior status Oct. 29 of last year and subsequently left the bench to become president and chief executive of Public Counsel.

Judge Dean Pregerson took senior status Jan. 28. Magistrate Judge Paul Abrams was nominated Dec. 16 of last year for Pregerson’s seat, but did not receive a Judiciary Committee hearing.

Judge George H. King is retiring Jan. 6.

There are no vacancies.

Gov. Jerry Brown named six new judges to the court Dec. 23—Firdaus F. Dordi to succeed retired Judge Allan J. Goodman; Mark H. Epstein to succeed retired Judge Thomas I. McKnew; Ruben N. Garcia to succeed retired Judge Richard A. Stone., Gary I. Micon to succeed retired Judge Elia Weinbach; Kevin S. Rosenberg to succeed retired Judge Reva G. Goetz; and P. Tamu Usher to succeed Judge Ellen C. DeShazer; who died in November of last year.

Four judges elected to open seats in November will take office next week. Debra R. Archuleta succeeds Judge Michelle Rosenblatt, who retired in June; Efrain Matthew Aceves succeeds Judge Alan Rosenfield, who sat for the last time Dec. 16 and officially retires today; Susan Jung Townsend succeeds Judge Kathleen Diesman; and Kim L. Nguyen succeeds Judge Elden Fox. Judge Soussan Bruguera retired Dec. 15. Vacancies were created earlier this year by the retirements of Judge Steven Van Sicklen Nov. 1, Judge John Henning Sept. 8, Judge Peter Espinoza May 31, Judge Jane Johnson May 23, Judge Emilie Elias May 9, Judge Robert Willett March 9, and Judge Russell Kussman Feb. 18.

Judge Daniel Brenner died Feb. 15. Vacancies remaining to be filled from last year occurred as a result of the retirement of Judge Tia Fisher Aug. 1 and the resignation of Judge Jeffrey Winikow Dec. 4.

Among those whose names have been sent to the JNE Commission as possible appointees to judgeships are Deputy Public Defender Scott Herin; Deputy District Attorney Philip Marshall; Deputy Alternate Public Defender Tracee May-Brewster; Altadena attorney Cynthia Cannady; Deputy Public Defenders Jose Colon and Lisa Brackelmanns; Bakersfield attorney Bernard Barrman Jr.; Century City attorney Jonathan Rosenbloom; Deputy District Attorneys Kerry White, Candace Foy Smith, Leonard Torrealba, and Kathleen Tuttle; retired Deputy District Attorney Brentford Ferreira; Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney—and former city attorney candidate—Michael Amerian; attorney/mediator Michael Diliberto; former Superior Court Referee Stephanie Davis; Los Angeles attorneys Angel Navarro and Lisa Mattern; Superior Court counsel Brett Bianco; Beverly Hills attorney Edward Tabash; South Pasadena attorney Mark S. Priver; Court of Appeal staff attorney Kenneth E. Roberson; Superior Court Commissioners Karin Borzakian, Timothy Martella, Pamela Davis, Collette Serio, Marilyn Kading Martinez, Robert Kawahara, Alan Rubin, Emma Castro, Jane Godfrey, Sharon Lewis Miller, Mark Zuckman, Dennis Mulcahy, Terry Truong and Kenneth Taylor; State Bar Court Judge Richard Honn; Deputy County Counsel Julie Ann Silva; Glendale attorney Kenneth Wright; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hsu.

The Legislature took the following action on bills of interest to the legal community in December.

•AB 3 by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, which would appropriate funds to provide expanded legal assistance to immigrants, including unaccompanied minors. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.

•AB 42 by Bonta, which would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to safely reduce the number of people detained pretrial, while addressing racial and economic disparities in the pretrial system, to ensure that people are not held in pretrial detention

•SB 6 by Sen. Ben Hueso, D-El Centro, which would create the Due Process for All Act, and would, among other things, appropriate funds to pay lawyers to represent immigrants facing removal from the United States. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.

•SB 8 by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, which would expand mental health diversion, currently available only to misdemeanor defendants, to those charged with low-level felonies. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.

•SB 29 by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, which would prohibit local governments from contracting with private entities to detain immigrants facing deportation. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.

•SB 36 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, which would authorize the State Bar to impose 2018 dues in the same amounts as in 2016. The bill was introduced Dec. 5

•SB 38 by Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, which would authorize and fund an additional seat on the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Div. Two, and would fund 10 of the 50 unfunded superior court judgeships previously authorized by the Legislature. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.

•SB 39 by Roth, which would reallocate four vacant superior court judgeships in counties that have more judges than needed, based on Judicial Council methodology, to the counties with the greatest need. The bill was introduced Dec. 5.