Some retirements are rumored, but not reality, at least not yet — such as the buzz surrounding Justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Other reports of career transitions are accurate, even if not yet here — such as the move of my former boss, Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit, to senior status (at the end of this year).
And Judge O’Scannlain isn’t the only Ninth Circuit notable who will be changing roles in 2017. This just in, from Judge Alex Kozinski of that court:
David: I don’t know whether you’ve seen the attached press release announcing that Cathy Catterson is retiring–from Circuit Executive, Clerk of Court, Court of Appeals executive–everything.
This is much bigger news than a mere change of Chief Judge. It will be a scramble to fill that void.
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Indeed. Those of us who have been lucky enough to clerk or otherwise work for the Ninth Circuit can speak to Cathy Catterson’s strong leadership, tremendous work ethic, and delightful personality. She will officially step down on February 28, 2017.
Catterson currently wears multiple hats at the court, as Judge Kozinski explains:
Before my time as Chief Judge, the Clerk of Court and Circuit Executive positions were held by different people. I consolidated them in Cathy, but that’s a mighty big void to fill. It’s not clear whether we’ll be able to find someone who can do both jobs or devolve back to two jobs. I sort of hope it stays merged, but that’s not a foregone conclusion and may depend on whom we can find to fill it.
You might help spread the word. Maybe some folks leaving government service may think of this as a great opportunity to come to California to work with a very talented staff and some semi-crotchety but very smart judges.
As discussed in the press release, Catterson’s role is demanding. She oversees almost 300 employees working in multiple courthouses up and down the West Coast, represents the court at meetings and conferences (including ones held in conjunction with the biannual gatherings of the Judicial Conference of the United States), helps develop solutions for managing the Ninth Circuit’s heavy caseload (which has more than doubled during her tenure as Clerk of Court), and handles crisis response:
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Ms. Catterson’s biggest managerial test came in 1989 when heavy damage from the Loma Prieta Earthquake forced the court to evacuate its San Francisco headquarters. Using temporary venues, the court never missed a session during the initial disruption and later relocated to a downtown office complex, where court business was conducted until the courthouse reopened in 1997.
What kind of background should you have if you’d like to apply to fill Catterson’s shoes? It would help to have experience in management, government, law, or some combination thereof. Catterson herself clerked for Judge Edward J. Devitt (D. Minn.) after graduating from George Mason University Law School, and she learned more about the judiciary while serving on the staff of U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits (R-NY), who at the time chaired a Judicial Conference committee developing admission standards for attorneys seeking to practice in federal courts.
Thank you to Cathy Catterson for her more than 40 years of service to the judicial branch, and good luck to the Ninth Circuit in finding a worthy successor (or successors) to her.
Earlier: A Leading Light Of The Federal Judiciary Will Take Senior Status
Anatomy Of A Rumor: On Justice Kennedy’s ‘Retirement’ Next Year
David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].