Federal judges lose homes in Southern California wildfires
Firefighters battle the Palisades fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7. (Photo by Ethan Swope/The Associated Press)
At least five federal judges have lost their homes in the wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area over the past week.
And as of Monday, at least 40 total judges and court staff for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California have faced evacuation orders, power outages and water quality issues because of the fires, according to Brian Karth, the district court executive and clerk of court, who spoke to Bloomberg Law.
The wildfires erupted Jan. 7 and have burned through more than 60 square miles, which is an area larger than Paris, according to CNN. More than 92,000 Los Angeles County residents are currently under evacuation orders, and 89,000 others are under evacuation warnings.
Active and senior judges, bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges are among those who have lost their homes or had their homes suffer severe damage, Karth told Bloomberg Law. Some judges have lost everything and haven’t been able to come to work, while others have relocated and are still working, he said.
Karth also told Bloomberg Law that the court, which has several locations, is still “open and operational.” He said the courthouses haven’t suffered damage, but some proceedings have been postponed depending on the needs of the judges and the parties.
“Our hearts obviously go out to all of those who are impacted, including our court family,” Karth told Bloomberg Law.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco announced Thursday that its Pasadena, California, courthouse will be closed to the public through Jan. 17, “given the continuing high winds and the ongoing uncertainty related to the Southern California wildfires.” Scheduled court sessions will happen remotely during this time.
