Inland Action meets with Honorable Dolly M. Gee – Chief US District Judge of the US District Court for the Central District of CA

On January 7, 2025, members of Inland Action met with Honorable Dolly M. Gee – Chief US District Judge of the US District Court for the Central District of CA. (Shown here with Inland Action Executive Director, Julie Michaels and Member, Dan Roberts of Cole Huber LLP.)

Inland Action and Judge Gee have advocated for additional judges for our local district. While the JUDGES Act passed both the Senate and the House, the bill was vetoed by the President in late December 2024. That being said, this progress was the furthest achieved to date.

Judge Gee reported that for the first time, as of late 2024, all judgeships are filled. This included a temporary judge that had been temporary for over 20 years. Even with the positions filled, the Central District of California sees 36% more cases than the national average and is the only court in the nation where magistrate judges share a chamber and courtroom. Because of the size of the courthouse and the limit of judgeships, many cases must be reassigned to Los Angeles and sometimes this travel distance is over 200 miles. Those overseeing smaller counties and/or more compact counties across the nation do not understand the physical size of our area.

In addition to the space limitations, the current courthouse does not have separate parking areas for the judges and defendants. There have been safety concerns in addition to a break-in into the courthouse after hours on December 23, 2023.

Judge Gee thanked Inland Action for the partnership in advocating for the needed resources for our federal courthouse and judgeships. She expressed appreciation for our desire to understand the strain of our court systems and continue to work together in sharing the message of needs for our region. This advocacy work continues.