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News

Announcements and Law Updates

A comprehensive discussion of new Ninth Circuit cases, and of other new legal challenges and ideas, can be found on the Ninth Circuit blog. The Ninth Circuit blog contains Federal Defender Jon Sands' weekly Ninth Circuit summaries, interesting new defense challenges and theories posted by AFPDs David Porter and Steve Sady, and the “Case o’ The Week” memos by Federal Defender Steve Kalar. The Ninth Circuit blog is a useful starting place for the latest developments in federal criminal defense.

To search the Ninth Circuit blog use the white search box next to the orange "B," in the upper left hand corner of the site. Note that many blog entries have been tagged by Judge involved or by subject. Clicking on those tags will pull up all blog entries related to that tag entry.

CJA counsel are encouraged to comment on the blog postings – many new ideas have been fleshed out and enhanced by attorney commentary.

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Appoints Peter H. Kang for Magistrate Judgeship in San Francisco

The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is pleased to announce that it has selected Peter H. Kang to fill the magistrate judgeship in March 2023, when Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero transitions to recall status.

Mr. Kang will join the court from Baker Botts LLP, where he has been a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group for the past two years, and before that as a partner at the Sidley Austin law firm. He has served 17 times as trial counsel in federal courts nationwide, the U.S. International Trade Commission and California state courts. Mr. Kang has litigated in commercial arbitrations and in the area of complex patent licensing matters among others. In addition to working in all areas of intellectual property, he also represents clients in copyright and trademark matters, antitrust cases, trade secret disputes, and in technology and IP-related arbitrations/mediations.

In addition to his private client practice, Mr. Kang has maintained a robust pro bono practice, representing pro bono clients in civil rights litigation, immigration/asylum matters and veterans benefits issues, to name a few. He is a member of the panel of arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and has been appointed as settlement conference officer for the San Francisco County Superior Court in over 20 cases since 2012. He has also presided as judge pro tempore since the late 1990s and served as a court-appointed arbitrator and early settlement conference neutral for Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Mr. Kang is a graduate of Stanford University and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was the president of the Korean American Law Students Association and head coach of the Wagner Labor Law Moot Court Team. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ernest C. Torres (Ret.) at the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

Candis Mitchell