The San Diego County Bar Association is deeply saddened by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her passing is an immense loss for our nation and our judicial system.
Justice Ginsburg was a role model and champion for people everywhere, and particularly for women and girls, who saw in her trailblazing life and career the ability to break barriers, to stand up against injustice, and to give voice to the voiceless.
As we have seen from the outpouring of emotion across our country, her loss is devastating to all who learned from her, who benefitted from her work as a lawyer and jurist, and those who have celebrated her as she became a cultural icon.
Justice Ginsburg passed away on September 18, 2020 at age 87. Just a day earlier—on Constitution Day—she was awarded the 2020 Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Center for her “efforts to advance liberty and equality for all.”
In honoring her life and her legacy, we remember important aspects of Justice Ginsburg’s life and career, and the impact she had on so many.
Read my full tribute message here.
Dialogue on Diversity—October 7 at 5:15 p.m. 2020 marks several significant voting rights milestones, with the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment—which provided that citizens shall not be denied the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”—and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment—which provided that citizens shall not be denied the right to vote “on account of sex.” Both of these Amendments expanded democracy and the franchise in significant ways. However, voting rights were not fully realized for many citizens and obstacles remain today, including differences in voting from state to state and county to county.
The COVID-19 pandemic also has wrought its own challenges, including a significant impact on how to safely conduct elections in light of this public health crisis, which polling centers will be open and who will volunteer at the polls, and the way many citizens will cast their ballots.
With a significant election on the horizon in November 2020, the San Diego County Bar Association is bringing together experts to provide us with historical context and to discuss current topics and challenges in the voting rights arena, both within and outside California. Please join us for Dialogue on Diversity: Right to Vote! History of Voting Rights, Legal Challenges, and Current Concerns on Wednesday, October 7 at 5:15 p.m. This free event offers 1.0 Elimination of Bias credit. Register here »
Awards Luncheon: Don’t forget to register now for our Annual Awards Ceremony & Celebration of Community Service on Wednesday, September 30, 12:00 p.m. Stay tuned for our announcement of special guests who will be joining us for that event!
Upcoming Events. We also have several interesting and exciting events coming up this and next week, including:
- Today at 12:00 p.m. – Unraveling Divorce Real Estate (presented by the Family Law Section with 1.0 CLE credit and 1.0 Family Law California Legal Specialization credit available)
- September 25, 12:00 p.m. – Introduction to Juvenile Dependency Law (presented by the Juvenile Law Section)
- September 28, 12:00 p.m. – Annual Business & Corporate Law Securities Update (presented by the Business and Corporate Law Section with 1.0 CLE credit available)
- September 29, 12:00 p.m. – Appellate Brief Show & Tell (presented by the Appellate Practice Section)
Last Friday, the SDCBA submitted to the California Supreme Court a letter urging retroactive application of the new California Bar Exam’s passing score to all applicants from July 2015 forward. View the SDCBA’s letter here.
In closing, we celebrate our diversity as a community as one of our greatest strengths. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed September 15–October 15 as Latino Heritage Month, to recognize the contributions of Latino Californians, including the movements for social justice and equality they have led, and to acknowledge the social and racial disparities they experience, including the disproportionate effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Latino communities. The SDCBA honors the contributions of the 15 million Latino Californians to the prosperity and vibrancy of our great state.
Johanna Schiavoni
2020 SDCBA President