Law students at University of the Pacific had the unique opportunity to observe the U.S. Court of Appeals in action recently. Judges with the ninth circuit heard oral arguments in a special sitting Feb. 21 inside the McGeorge School of Law Lecture Hall on the Sacramento Campus.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is the largest federal appellate court in the country and is one step below the United States Supreme Court.

Panelists included the Hon. Consuelo M. Callahan ’75 and the Hon. Johnnie B. Rawlinson ’79 of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Hon. Morrison C. England Jr. ’83 of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. All three are McGeorge alumni.

A crowd of 300 saw the panel hear arguments for two cases including:

• USA v. Armando Calderon, which was an appeal from conviction for conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and carrying a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
• Justin Hart v. Facebook, Inc., which was an appeal of a dismissal of an action against Facebook Inc., X (formerly known as Twitter), and federal agencies and officials, alleging defendants conspired to suppress the plaintiff’s free speech regarding his COVID-19 social media posts. 

The court hears appeals stemming from rulings made by executive branch agencies and federal trial courts across nine western states as well as two Pacific Island territories.

After the oral arguments, the panel participated in a Q&A session with law students. 

“I have loved my legal career, and I have great gratitude to McGeorge for the education that I received and the support that I have received subsequently in my career. I have enjoyed every job that I've had,” Callahan said.

In addition to her role on the bench, Callahan serves on Pacific’s Board of Regents. When describing her legal career, Callahan shared her drive to give back to the community.

"I always was involved in my community. I was doing things that I was passionate about. If you share what you have with the community, opportunities will come to you,” Callahan said.

England recounted his path to becoming a judge and expressed his dedication to the legal profession.

“It's been almost 23 years that I've been on the federal court and six years on the state court, and it's been the best time of my life,” he said.

Rawlinson encouraged students to pursue careers in the law that ignite their passion.

“I want to be a source of encouragement to you, to be confident in the education that you're getting here and to know that you can do anything in the legal profession that you want to,” Rawlinson said.

“McGeorge helped pave the way by giving me a good legal education, foundation and work ethic that were instrumental when I was positioning myself to be recognized as a potential candidate for a judge,” she added.

The California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and McGeorge School of Law also invited law students to a special panel discussion and lunch on careers and paths in appellate law, featuring leading lawyers from a range of backgrounds and practice areas.

The Feb. 21 events were part of McGeorge’s year-long centennial anniversary programming. Throughout 2024, the law school is hosting more than 20 events and activities celebrating 100 years of educating transformative legal professionals in the Sacramento community, including esteemed speakers from law schools across the nation, a gala, a premiere of a documentary about McGeorge’s history and much more.