In January of 2010, the Vanguard created its Vanguard Court Watch. The idea behind YJW was to monitor and report on what was occurring in the Yolo County courts.
During the last 17 months since we founded the court watch program, interns have monitored numerous hearings and court trials, we have reported on dozens of cases, and the program has been remarkably successful. Last week, we had 8 interns cover every single of one of Yolo County’s felony courts.
The project will remain what it is now, primarily a watchdog organization that monitors and reports on what happens in the Yolo County Courthouse, as well as other factors that relate to law enforcement and California’s judicial system.
In addition to separating news from commentary, the purpose of the editorial board will be severalfold. First, the board will oversee the news reporting operations, lending advice and oversight for the Judicial Watch Project. Second, the board will run periodic editorials on issues that arise during the course of our reporting. Third, it will have independence, separated from the news reporting function.
These roles, along with independent investigative roles, will evolve over time.
The Editorial Board currently is comprised of four members, however, we will be looking to expand to 6 to 8 in the coming months. Shortly, they will have their own page and independent contact information available.
The four members are: Local Attorney Paul Boylan, Former California Aggie Opinion Editor Jeremy Ogul, former Judicial Watch Intern Vanessa Guerrero, and current Judicial Watch Intern Abhi Anand.
We are looking for additional members with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, and anyone interested in serving on the board should contact the Vanguard.
The editorial board’s first editorial will appear next Sunday under the header “Judicial Watch Editorial” with no byline. Our goal is to eventually get up to three editorials a week.
Ideas and suggestions are always welcome.
—David M. Greenwald
