More Than 100 Retired California Judges Create “Wall of Justice” to Defend the Rule of Law & An Independent Judiciary

Video Project Reaffirms Judges’ Constitutional Oaths in Honor of America’s 250^th Celebration

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 100 retired California judges donned their robes and renewed their lifetime oaths of office to affirm the vital importance of an independent judiciary and the rule of law. The resulting "Wall of Justice" video brings together individual recordings from participating judges into a single, powerful tribute.

The Wall of Justice is presented by the California Judges Association’s Retired Judges Initiative (RJI) in celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The full Wall of Justice video can be found here: https://youtu.be/m_lpnkZMbGc

“The judiciary has increasingly become the subject of misinformation, misunderstanding, and unfair criticism, which erodes public confidence in the judicial branch,” said Retired Santa Barbara County Judge George C. Eskin, who spearheaded the Wall of Justice Project. “We are using our collective voice to demonstrate the power of the third branch, defend the rule of law, and reinforce the commitment every California judge makes to ensuring impartiality and administering equal justice under the law.”

Responding to an imperative need to speak up when ethical canons prohibit their sitting colleagues from doing so, RJI has assembled the largest organized group of retired state judges in the nation, including retired California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye. This gathering of distinguished jurists hopes to model and inspire similar groups of state court judges throughout the country to reinforce the message that judicial independence is not a privilege for judges.

The Wall of Justice is the RJI’s second public project, following the release of a Declaration of Judicial Independence signed by more than 100 justices, judges, and commissioners to honor Constitution Day on September 17, 2025.

The RJI is a subcommittee of the California Judges Association’s Judicial Fairness Coalition (JFC) and is comprised of over 186 retired judicial officers. You can find more information on the JFC and RJI here: https://www.caljudges.org/JFC/.