A Judge's Guide to Making the Record

Guam Chief Justice Robert Torres and Florida Judge Lou Schiff (Ret.) review the nine things judges can learn from the game of baseball. This episode also previews the NJC's new Spring Training for Judges: Decision-Making, Leadership and Team Dynamics, coming March 2026.

The better the record, the smoother the appellate process. Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Sam Thumma and Minnesota Judge Charles Webber review how trial judges can make a solid record even in those tricky situations involving judicial notice, self-represented litigants and more. 

This episode of Upheld kicks off our series on appeals for trial judges. We tackle the word that makes every judge cringe: Remand. Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Sam Thumma, Florida Judge Lisa Walsh and Minnesota Judge Charles Webber discuss how to handle remands and, more importantly, how to avoid remands when possible. This is a must listen for both trial and appellate judges.

The National Judicial College's Fifth Annual Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lecture featured Professor Arthur Miller, who entitled his presentation "My friend Ruth."Professor Arthur Miller is one of the nation’s most distinguished legal scholars in the areas of civil litigation, copyright, unfair competition, and privacy. Professor Miller first met Ruth Bader Ginsburg when they, along with RBG's husband Marty, were law students at Harvard.  The pair would become lifelong friends, both successfully arguing cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and maintaining that bond of friendship as she ascended to the Supreme Court herself and he established a prestigious career at Harvard, and later NYU. Professor Miller has appeared in numerous movies, podcasts, news shows and books on the late justice. 

Judge J. Michelle Childs presented "The Republic Is Safe As Long as the Courthouse Doors Are Open" in April 2025. Judge Childs has been a member of United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since 2022. She previously served as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, beginning 2010.

Hon. Diane J. Humetewa, the first Native American woman and the first enrolled tribal member to serve as a U.S. federal judge, delivered the Justice Jackson Lecture on the topic of public trust and confidence in the courts. Her lecture was entitled  “Reposing the Public’s Special Trust and Confidence in Your Wisdom, Uprightness & Learning: A Discussion About Instilling and Maintaining Confidence in Our Courts." Polling suggests that trust in and approval of the nation’s highest court, the Supreme Court of the United States, remains at or near historic lows. Judge Humetewa discusses what judges at all court levels can do to improve public trust and confidence.