Not to insult feral cats, but it’s not easy to get more than 100 judges to agree on anything. It’s something of an occupational hazard. Yet, former California Superior Court Judge Brett Alldredge has been part of a group of former judges, the Retired Judges Initiative, standing together to uphold the rule of law and judicial independence. Judge Alldredge was kind enough to send over their efforts. They call it the Wall of Justice.

The accompanying press release fleshes out their goals.

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 250th Celebration

SACRAMENTO (June 24, 2026) – 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 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

There are different ways to celebrate the Nation’s semiquincentennial. Some involve scantily clad men traipsing around the Oval Office before beating, or being beaten by, other quasi-naked men. Others involve creating a multi-million dollar boondoggle and pretending it was caused by vandals rather than hubris. These judges have chosen an alternative celebration, some of the principles upon which this nation was founded, like the rule of law and judicial independence. They put on black robes instead of polyester briefs.

“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.”

Beating up on judges is perhaps the easiest refuge of the disingenuous and ignorant, since judges are prohibited by judicial ethics from fighting back. Former judges, on the other hand, suffer no such limitation.

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.

Granted, these are California judges and justices, and one state is not all states nor the federal judiciary. But every battle for integrity and independence has to start somewhere, and these retired judges have decided to not sit idly by while the judiciary is maligned with lies, ignorance and malice. There are, and have been, individual former judges across the country, both state and federal, who have chosen to make their voices, but the RJI appears to be the first serious effort to coordinate former judges and form into a group so as to present a more forceful voice in support of the rule of law.

Will it matter? Surely their tempered and thoughtful approach lacks the sex appeal of calling judges who issue any ruling adverse to the Trump administration radical left lunatics, or lying to judges and refusing to comply with court orders, or denigrating judges’ ethnicity. Repeating their oath of office, their dedication to the Constitution, won’t gain the sort of headlines or impassioned “hell yeah” that sweaty half-naked men enjoy. But it beats the hell out of sitting on the sidelines watching a nation sink into a morass of lies, corruption and lawlessness.

Judges aren’t politicians and shouldn’t be. Indeed, the judicial branch of government was largely, though not entirely (remember Judge Aaron Persky?), designed to provide immunity from popular whim. By definition, judges rule based on law rather than the flavor of the month or, far worse, the all-too-public bullying of an executive who has neither filter nor shame, and will say anything that serves his transitory interest, no matter how false or dangerous. Efforts like this by the RJI are a start, and we, lawyers, should do our part to amplify their voices and their message.