SANTA ANA APPELLATE COURT JUDGE REPORTS ATTORNEY TO STATE BAR: MEANWHILE, SACRAMENTO FAMILY COURT JUDGES DEFY JUDICIAL ETHICS CANON 3D(2), IGNORE, COVER UP ATTORNEY MISCONDUCT

• Examples of systemic attorney misconduct in Sacramento family court.
• Judges are required - by law - to report serious attorney misconduct. 
• Common types of attorney misconduct. 
• Attorneys are required to tell the truth at all times, whether under oath or not. 
• Judge James Mize fails to report egregious misconduct by divorce attorney and temporary judge Paula Salinger. 
• Judge Thadd Blizzard fails to report egregious misconduct by divorce attorney and temporary judge Richard Sokol.
• Judges Thadd Blizzard and Matthew Gary fail to report attorneys who aided criminal child abductions. 
• Sacramento County Superior Court judges fail to report alleged racketeering and antitrust activity by divorce lawyers.  

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

INSTITUTIONALIZED BIAS BY SACRAMENTO COUNTY JUDGES AGAINST FINANCIALLY DISADVANTAGED, SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS CONFIRMED BY FEDERAL JUDGE

A federal judge has broken the code of silence and confessed what self-represented court users in California - and Sacramento County Superior Court - have asserted for years.

In multiple interviews, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner disclosed that most judges regard pro per litigants as "kind of trash not worth the time."

The California Supreme Court, courts of appeal and trial courts have always operated a two-track system of justice, according to court whistleblowers. One for those who can afford to hire a lawyer, and a separate system for those who can't.

"Judge Posner has admitted what no active judge in California will ever admit in public. From the trial courts to the Supreme Court, the poor who can't afford to pay for an attorney and are forced to represent themselves in court are treated as second class citizens," said whistleblower Ulf Carlsson. "California courts are pay-to-play." 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

ABA Journal: Posner: Most judges regard pro se litigants as 'kind of trash not worth the time.'

Above the Law: The Backstory Behind Judge Richard Posner's Retirement.

Chicago Daily Law Bulletin: Posner says friction on 7th Circuit bench led to his retirement.

New York Times: An Exit Interview With Richard Posner, Judicial Provocateur 

Above the Law: Judge Posner, Uncensored: 'I Don't Really Care What People Think.'

Commissioner Peter McBrien Misconduct Prosecution by the Commission on Judicial Performance: Records Catalog

• Judge Peter McBrien misconduct Commission on Judicial Performance prosecution documents catalog. 

• Judge Peter McBrien Sacramento County criminal prosecution documents catalog. 

• Sacramento News and Review: A view to kill for. 
• Sacramento News and Review: Peter McBrien articles catalog. 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Lawyer and Sworn Temporary Judge Richard Sokol: Alleged Attorney Misconduct, Moral Turpitude Acts

From the description of the Scribd document embedded at the end of this post: 

Richard Sokol, Sokol & Bristow LLP, divorce attorney Sacramento lawyer complete transcript of court hearing where Sokol client gave false testimony attempting to get a domestic violence restraining order. Sokol's client made false claims in court filings and in court testimony.

As an officer of the court, Sokol had a duty to ensure his client did not make false claims in court filings or testify falsely. Judge Thomas Cecil denied Sokol's request for a domestic violence restraining order.

Pro Per Parties Report Fair, Equal Treatment Continues to Evade Financially Disadvantaged Litigants Without Lawyers

 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Investigative Report Documents Serious Problems in Sacramento County Family Court System

From Sacramento News & Review:

 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Mandated Reporter Series: State Law Requires Sacramento Family Court Judges To Report Attorney and Judge Misconduct

Under state law, California judges are mandated reporters of attorney misconduct. Judicial Ethics Code § 3D(2), Business and Professions Code §§ 6086.7 and 6086.8, and California Rules of Court rules 10.609 and 10.1017 each require judges to report specific types of lawyer misconduct. The reporting duty is mandated by law, and is not discretionary.  

One type of common attorney misconduct is the failure to disclose adverse law in presenting a matter in court. The failure to identify law adverse to an attorneys position in court filings and during oral argument violates the California Rules of Professional Conduct, Business and Professions Code, ABA Model Rules, and decisional law. The document set embedded at the bottom of this post includes these authorities. 

One type of common judge misconduct is the failure to report or otherwise take appropriate corrective action when an attorney fails to disclose adverse law. Despite the routine occurrence of this type of judge misconduct, Commission on Judicial Performance judge disciplinary statistics indicate that judges are rarely held accountable under Judicial Ethics Code § 3D(2) for failing to hold attorneys accountable. CJP reform advocates contend this absence of enforcement by the agency exacerbates the rule of law breakdown prevalent in California courts.  

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Judge Matthew Gary Serial Misconduct Saga: Court Watchdogs Stunned by Return of Controversial Judge-Clerk Team to Family Court

Court clerk Christina Arcuri with Judge Matthew Gary 

Sacramento Superior Court Presiding Judge Kevin Culhane has reassigned troubled Judge Matthew J. Gary - and his equally controversial clerk Christina Arcuri - to hear cases in the family law courthouse.

Under a cloud of controversy, in 2014 Gary and Arcuri were moved from a family law courtroom in the William Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse on Power Inn Road to a probate/mental health law courtroom in the same courthouse. 

Court watchdogs assert that Gary and Arcuri are openly biased against self-represented litigants who cannot afford to hire an attorney, and who make up more than 70 percent of court users in family court. Court employee whistleblowers also allege that the pair have been engaged in an improper, long-term personal relationship for over ten years. The couple deny the claim.
   

After generating a number of complaints during the course of their assignment to the probate/mental courtroom, in 2015 Gary and Arcuri were again reassigned to hear trial and misdemeanor warrants and mental health hearings in Department 13 at the Gordon D. Schaber courthouse in downtown Sacramento. The pair reportedly also generated complaints in that assignment and have now cycled back to the family law courthouse, to Department 122. 

In their prior family court stint, Gary and Arcuri were involved in a string of scandals, including 

• Gary failing to disclose a conflict of interest involving his now-ex wife's software company.  
• A full reversal by the 3rd District Court of Appeal of a judgment issued by Gary in the Seaton divorce case. 
• Gary's premature removal from a family court supervising judge position by then-Presiding Judge Laurie Earl.
• Infighting after his removal as family court supervising judge, forcing the resignation of his successor, Judge Jamie Roman.   
• Gary's forced removal from a family law case ordered by San Joaquin County Judge Xapuri Villapudua. 
• The illegal in-court arrest of an indigent, self-represented, disabled family court parent, caught on a courtroom security video and subsequently leaked by a court employee whistleblower. 
• Failing to report alleged obstruction of justice crimes by a prominent family law attorney with a history of misconduct.  
• Issuing a series of allegedly illegal orders against an indigent, disabled parent who was self-represented because she couldn't afford to hire a lawyer.  
• Attempting to obstruct an appeal of orders issued by Gary. 
• Failing to report to law enforcement an alleged racketeering enterprise operating in the family court system. 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Sacramento Superior Court, California Judicial Branch Generate Controversy in 2016: Year in Review

Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye obstructs
State Bar reform.

Commission on Judicial Performance sues State Auditor to restrict
audit of the judge oversight agency. 

Commission on Judicial Performance whistleblower and court
watchdog Joe Sweeney jailed in alleged retaliation scheme. 

State Auditor Elaine Howle asserts authority over Commission on Judicial
Performance in CJP's bad faith litigation to restrict audit of the agency. 

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jaime Roman prosecuted and
punished for judicial misconduct by the Commission on
Judicial Performance. 

Alameda County Superior Court Commissioner Taylor Culver
resigns to avoid prosecution for judge misconduct.

Commission on Judicial Performance Chairman Anthony
Capozzi faces criminal investigation. 

Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky cleared of wrongdoing in
Brock Turner sexual assault case. 

Read our Special Report: Sacramento County Family Court Operates as RICO Racketeering Enterprise, Charge Whistleblowers.

Whistleblower Leak: Court Reform Group Cataloging Complaints Against California Judges - Requests Public Help

The production team for the 2014 documentary film Divorce Corp is assisting Court Reform LLC in compiling and cataloging California judge misconduct complaints, according to an email leaked to Sacramento Family Court Report: 

Sacramento Superior Court Corruption Victims Take Advocacy to State Level at Commission on Judicial Performance

Sacramento County Superior Court whistleblowers this year have expanded their ranks, joined forces with similar groups in other counties, and taken their court reform campaign to the state level, according to Fatima Katumbusi, a group spokesperson. 

"Our local watchdogs have teamed up with the Center for Judicial Excellence, Court Reform LLC, the Commission on Judicial Performance Reform Project and other groups," Katumbusi explained. "We have testified at the State Assembly, raised awareness about court corruption at the Super Bowl, and engaged on social media. Mainstream media, including the Sacramento Bee, Daily Journal and San Francisco Chronicle have reported on several of our issues, and published opinion columns by people in our group," she added.

Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle published an op-ed criticizing secrecy at the state Commission on Judicial Performance, the government agency responsible for oversight and accountability of judges. The piece was authored by two court reform advocates, one of whom is a victim of alleged corruption in the family law division of Sacramento Superior Court.  

Sacramento Superior Court Watchdog Group Calls on Presiding Judge Kevin Culhane to Rectify Improper Judge-Clerk Relationship

Kern County Judge Cory Woodward was punished by the Commission on Judicial Performance for having an improper personal relationship with his courtroom clerk. Sacramento County Judge Matthew Gary reportedly has had a similar relationship with his courtroom clerk, Christina Arcuri, for at least four years. 

"[I]t is time for this charade to end." 

Sacramento Family Court Corruption, a Facebook watchdog group with over 600 followers, has issued an open letter to Sacramento County Presiding Judge Kevin Culhane regarding an alleged improper relationship between a Sacramento Superior Court judge and his courtroom clerk. 

The whistleblower group alleges that Judge Matthew Gary has been in a consensual, personal relationship with his clerk, Christina Arcuri for more than five years. Both Gary and Arcuri also have been involved in a number of controversies involving the alleged mistreatment of indigent, disabled, and financially disadvantaged family court parties who are self-represented.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Misconduct Victims Attend, Testify at State Assembly Hearing on Commission on Judicial Performance Problems

In the video clip above, Commission on Judicial Performance whistleblower and court reform advocate Joe Sweeney testifies at a California Assembly Budget Committee hearing on March 28, 2016. The CJP is responsible for judge oversight and accountability in the state. 

Several days before the hearing, Sweeney's court modernization and reform organization, Court Reform LLC, released a 78-page report which raised questions about CJP judicial misconduct statistical data and how the agency spends taxpayer funds.

Divorce Corp Documentary Team Releases Follow-Up Video on Child Support System

From Divorce Corp:

Divorce Corp Director, Joseph Sorge, interviews renowned economist and lead author of a breakthrough study on the costs of raising a child, Professor William Comanor. Watch this video to learn the shocking facts about how child support costs are currently calculated and why they need to be revised. Then share this interview with your state legislators to support child support reforms. Together we can end unnecessary fighting over one of the most contentious aspects of any divorce; child support.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Raises Awareness of Family Court Victim Childhood Trauma

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is part of a growing network of leaders working to increase awareness and understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the need to develop effective innovative interventions. 

Alleged judge-attorney collusion and racketeering in Sacramento Superior Court spanning more than 20 years has traumatized hundreds of children, according to court reform advocates. The documentary film Divorce Corp designated the Sacramento County Family Court system as one of the most corrupt in the United States. 

Infographic: The Truth About ACEs by RWJF on RWJF.org

Judges Thadd Blizzard and Matthew Gary, and Attorneys Who Aided Criminal Child Abductions Remain Unaccountable

A child abduction that deprives a parent of a right to custody or visitation is a crime in California.

Watchdogs Charge Preferential Treatment Provided To Judge Pro Tem Divorce Attorneys

After more than two years, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Thadd Blizzard and judge pro tem divorce lawyer Richard Sokol have yet to be held accountable for their role in an out-of-state, criminal child abduction by Sokol's client, April Berger. Read our 2014 investigative report, which includes a court reporter transcript memorializing the allegations. 

After more than five years, Judge Matthew Gary and divorce attorney Timothy Zeff have not been held accountable for their role in the out-of-state, criminal child abduction of Megan Ferris. Zeff is the partner of judge pro tem attorney Scott Buchanan. Read our two reports: 

• Illegal Child Custody Order, Judge Approved Child Abduction Among Issues in Landmark Appeal.
• Judge Matthew Gary Orders Indigent, Disabled Parent to Pay Attorney Fee Sanctions Based on "Body Language."

Government whistleblowers allege that the judge-authorized criminal abductions are additional evidence of racketeering by a "cartel" of judges and local family law attorneys who also work as part-time judges in the same court. 

CBS News 60 Minutes Hidden Camera Records Attorney Boasting Lawyers Immune from Criminal Prosecution

“They don’t send the lawyers to jail because we run the country. We’re members of a privileged class in this country. We make the laws and when we do so we make them in a way that is advantageous to the lawyers,” attorney Marc Koplik explains on hidden video in this 60 Minutes broadcast clip.

Sacramento Superior Court reform advocates allege that a group of local divorce lawyers who also work as part-time judges have made similar claims. Whistleblowers assert that many Sacramento County judges abdicate their responsibility to enforce attorney misconduct laws, and therefore share blame for the problem.