FEATURE ARTICLE
Douglas Potts is a senior appellate attorney at the Third District Court of Appeal.
Religious Conviction and Judicial Decisionmaking: Weighing Justice and Mercy by Douglas Potts Imam Mohamed Abdul-Azeez, far left, addresses the Sacramento Court/ Clergy Conference as Rabbi Mona Alfi, Father David Suwalsky, SJ, Rev. (Justice) Rodney Davis, & Prof. Alan Brownstein listen
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udges and clergy met togethstanding, edification and er at the 2016 Sacramento collaboration between the Court/Clergy Conference to disjudiciary and regional comcuss how religious faith affects munities of faith.” The 2016 their decisions when justice and conference was held at the mercy might demand opposing Salam Islamic Center last fall. results. Commenting on that conJustice Corrigan, along flict, Justice Carol A. Corrigan with Justices Patricia Bamatof the California Supreme Court tre-Manoukian and Nathan said, “While all people of faith are D. Mihara, of the Sixth informed by the richness of their District Court of Appeal, tradition, judges must look open- Justices George W. Nicholson (Third District Court of Appeal), appeared on a panel modCarol A. Corrigan (California Supreme Court), Patricia Bamattrely and honestly at every decision. erated by Rev. (Justice) RodI do not go to cannon law or the Manoukian (Sixth District Court of Appeal), & Nathan D. ney Davis and Prof. Alan Mihara (Sixth District Court of Appeal) at the Sacramento Torah to find the answer. We don’t Court/Clergy Conference Brownstein of UC Davis Law look to dogma, as much as we School. The justices shared think it may be right, to make secpersonal experiences to adsored by the Sacramento County Suular decisions.” dress questions concerning whether perior Court and the California Judges The Sacramento Court/Clergy their religious understanding of justice Association. Its mission is to provide Conference is an annual event sponand mercy influenced their exercise of “a forum for mutual support, under-
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SACRAMENTO LAWYER | March/April 2017 | www.sacbar.org