Calif. High Court to Stream Sessions Online

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) - The California Supreme Court will stream oral arguments online beginning in May, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told state legislators on Tuesday.

Cantil-Sakauye made the revelation during her fifth "state of the judiciary" address to a joint session of the Legislature, at which she touted a branch "made leaner by the greatest recession of California's history."

She added, "We endured, and we've changed for the better."

The chief justice also lauded Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for a court innovation grant, which she said will "energize courts to do even more to improve access to justice."

But while she criticized the continued use of court fines and fees largely on state spending rather than to fund the courts, Cantil-Sakauye also praised lawmakers for passing a bill granting amnesty for delinquent traffic tickets.

The chief justice also urged lawmakers to consider whether the bail system is serving its purpose, and said she is working to end implicit bias through the education of judges during their ethics training.

"Justice is in fact for all of us," Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers. "Let us together deliver on the promise of justice and fairness."

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