News Releases

State Bar Court Review Department ‘Reporter’ Now Available Online

For the first time in its 34-year history, the State Bar Court Reporter is now available online. 

The State Bar Court Reporter was first published in 1990 and comprises opinions published by the Review Department, along with a supplemental Digest of headnotes organized by topic numbers. Formerly available only by paid subscription in hard copy, all volumes of the Reporter are now available free of charge in digital format on the State Bar Court’s website, without subscription. The six volumes of the Reporter include 337 opinions and approximately 6,000 pages of content. The supplemental digest published in 2016 has been updated through September 2023.  

“The State Bar Court is making a concerted effort to enhance access to public case records, including direct and free access to this compilation of the Review Department’s published opinions,” said Michelle Cramton, Clerk of the State Bar Court.  

State Bar Court Presiding Judge Richard A. Honn added, “The Reporter hosts published opinions that date back more than three decades, and we are pleased that these rulings will be easily available to all with an interest in our proceedings.”  

The State Bar Court conducts disciplinary proceedings and adjudicates charges filed by the State Bar Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC). The State Bar Court rules on whether an attorney has committed professional misconduct and may recommend that an attorney be suspended or disbarred. The State Bar Court’s recommendation is transmitted to the California Supreme Court, which determines whether to impose the recommended discipline. See rule 9.18, California Rules of Court. 

The State Bar Court’s Review Department issues approximately 6 to 10 published opinions a year. The Review Department’s rulings occur when the attorney subject to disciplinary proceedings, or OCTC, or both, request(s) a review (appeal) of a Hearing Department decision, or when the California Supreme Court directs the Review Department to take an action.  

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