On July 14, The Barristers Club of The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) hosted its 38th Annual Judges Reception to honor Judge Ethan P. Schulman, Superior Court of San Francisco County with the 2022 Tara L. Riedley Barristers Choice Award. The award is annually presented to a state or federal judge in the Bay Area recognizing their extraordinary efforts to educate and encourage lawyers new to the practice of law and the courtroom.
“This award presents a welcome chance to reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face as lawyers and judges at the time of momentous changes.” said Schulman. “We are riding a wave of seismic shocks whose farreaching consequences we are only starting to realize.”
Schulman acknowledged that among these shocks are “...the appointments of several new Justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court’s issuance of landmark decisions abolishing the constitutional right to abortion, curtailing states’ power to reduce gun violence, limiting the authority of administrative agencies to regulate industry and employers, and increasing the role of religion in the public square.”
Although these rapid changes have raised feelings of despair, Schulman urged that with each challenge comes an opportunity to band together and shape the future. “Our legal training tells us that solving a problem begins with asking the right questions,” he said.
“So how can we work at the state level to protect our communities against the threat of gun violence, including the recent horrific mass shootings? How can we respond to the existential threat of climate change if federal regulatory agencies are hamstrung in their ability to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions? And above all, how can we ensure the rights of women, particularly poor women of color, to make decisions regarding their own lives and reproductive health care?”
Schulman continued to explain that the legal community must take advantage of this opportunity by strengthening the courts and legal democracy.
“We do so by our conduct within the legal system: the questions we ask, the cases we take (or decline to take), the positions we advocate, and our fidelity to the truth and the rule of law. We do so by acting in a manner that warrants the trust and respect we aspire to receive from others. And we do so by advocating rules, principles and values that protect everyone in our society—particularly the vulnerable and the voiceless.”
Schulman concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the day-to-day work of judges and lawyers have life-changing consequences on thousands of people, and voiced his confidence that all will live up to the commitment to do everything they can to improve our judicial system.
The evening went on to be filled with smiles as guests finally reconnected in one of the first Barristers Club events back in person.
Click here to view more photos from the night. A special thank you to our generous Judges Reception Committee and our Event Host, Benefactor, Partner, and Friend sponsors.
Read more about Judge Schulman
Advice plus discussion about his career as an appellate attorney and a San Francisco Superior Court judge