Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness

Rule 10.55 provides that the Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness must include representatives from the following categories:

• Appellate justice;
• Trial court judicial officer;
• Lawyer with expertise or interest in disability issues;
• Lawyer with expertise or interest in additional access, fairness, and diversity issues addressed by the committee;
• Lawyer from a trial court self-help center;
• Legal services lawyer;
• Court executive officer or trial court manager who has experience with self-represented litigants;
• County law librarian or other related professional;
• Judicial administrator; and
• Public member

The Chief Justice appoints two advisory committee members to serve as co-chairs. Each co-chair is responsible for leading the advisory committee's work in the following areas:

1. Physical, programmatic, and language access; fairness in the courts; and diversity in the judicial branch; and
2. Issues confronted by self-represented litigants and those of limited or moderate income, including economic, education, and language challenges. 

Download the Committee Roster. 

• Hon. Kevin C. Brazile, Cochair, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 
• Hon. Victor A. Rodriguez, Cochair, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three
• Ms. Morgan Baxter, Deputy Court Executive Officer of Operations, Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino
• Hon. Jose S. Castillo, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One
• Ms. Shelly M. Caterino, Attorney, Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Law Office of Emily Berger
• Hon. Thomas A. Delaney, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three
• Hon. Monica R. Diaz, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
• Hon. Rebekah Evenson, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
• Hon. Amy K. Guerra, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
• Hon. Clare Keithley, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Butte
• Hon. Esther P. Kim, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
• Hon. Victoria Kolakowski, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
• Hon. Cynthia L. Loo, Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of Kern
• Ms. Shirley Luo, Program Manager, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
• Hon. Elizabeth G. Macias, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange
• Ms. Nina Magno, Managing Attorney, Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
• Hon. Lia R. Martin, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
• Ms. S. Lynn Martinez, Director of Litigation, Disability Rights California
• Ms. Julie S. Paik (Ret.), City of Huntington Beach, Business Development
• Mr. Michael Powell, Court Executive Officer of the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo
• Hon. Mickie Reed, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
• Hon. Michael Rhoads, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• Ms. Fariba R. Soroosh, Division Director-Operations, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
• Ms. Katy Van Sant, Spanish Bilingual Forensic Linguist, Certified Spanish Court Interpreter, Transcription & Translation
• Hon. Laura R. Walton, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
• Hon. Julie Weng-Gutierrez, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
• Mr. Mitchell K. Wunsh, Assistant Family Law Facilitator, Superior Court of California, County of Marin

Center for Judicial Education and Resources Advisory Committee Liaison

• Hon. Candice Garcia-Rodrigo, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino

Criminal Law Advisory Committee Liaison

• Hon. Amy K. Guerra, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno

Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee Liaison

• Hon. Monica F. Wiley, Supervising Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco 

Traffic Advisory Committee Liaison

• Hon. Martha A. Matthews, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles

Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee (TCPJAC) Liaison

• Hon. Jacqueline Jackson, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside

Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) Liaison

VACANT

Center for Judicial Education and Resources (CJER) Liaison

• Ms. Chio Saephanh, Attorney, Judicial Council of California Center for Judiciary Education and Resources

Office of Governmental Affairs Liaison

• Ms. Heather Restarits, Attorney, Judicial Council of California Office Governmental Affairs

Judicial Council Staff to the Committee

• Ms. Cristina Resendiz-Johnson, Attorney, Judicial Council of California, Center for Families, Children & the Courts
• Ms. Elizabeth Tam-Helmuth, Sr. Analyst, Judicial Council of California, Leadership Support Services
• Ms. Amanda Morris, Administrative Coordinator, Judicial Council of California, Center for Families, Children & the Courts

Language Access Subcommittee

• Hon. Victor A. Rodriguez, Chair, Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three
• Ms. Shirley Luo, Program Manager, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
• Ms. Julie S. Paik (Ret.), City of Huntington Beach, Business Development
• Ms. Fariba R. Soroosh, Division Director-Operations, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
• Ms. Katy Van Sant, Court Interpreter, Spanish Bilingual Forensic Linguist, Certified Spanish Court Interpreter, Transcription & Translation
• Hon. Julie Weng-Gutierrez, Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento

Contact Information

Language Access Services
Ms. Elizabeth Tam-Helmuth, Subcommittee Lead Staff
elizabeth.tam@jud.ca.gov

Pathways to Achieving Judicial Diversity is a toolkit prepared by the Judicial Council with the substantial collaborative contribution of the Advisory Committee on Access and Fairness and the State Bar of California and its Council on Access and Fairness.
 

Read more reports and publications from the Access and Fairness Advisory.

The committee makes recommendations for improving access to the judicial system, fairness in the state courts, diversity in the judicial branch, and court services for self-represented parties. In addition to the duties described in rule 10.34, the committee must recommend to the Center for Judicial Education and Resources Advisory Committee, proposals for the education and training of judicial officers and court staff.