The Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference wrapped up Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Maui, Hawaii.

Before we close the book on the conference that left a two-year hangover, we have a few final thoughts on the Ninth Circuit’s conference planning and benefits.

Two weeks before the conference, Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski sent a letter to Senators Charles Grassley and Jeff Sessions — the most prominent critics of the Maui conference — explaining that the controversial conference location was set two years ago, before organizers realized that the economy would still be in the tank. By the time the media frenzy started in the spring, it was too late to turn back. Some will view the letter as an inadequate act of contrition, but Judge Kozinski has a point: It would have cost all of the participants more money to change the location on short notice in response to the public outcry.

(The Senators had a point, too. Even in 2010, many people would have agreed that booking a conference at a four-star hotel outside of the continental U.S. was a bad idea.)

  • As Debate Rages Nationally Over Taxpayer Expenditures, Ninth Circuit Court Judges and Lawyers Enjoy Maui’s Peaceful Sanctuary (Hawaii Reporter)
  • Will the Ninth Circuit Conference Kill All Future Conferences? (FindLaw’s Tenth Circuit Blog)
  • Ninth Circuit Postpones 2013 Judicial Conference (FindLaw’s Ninth Circuit Blog)

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