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Lets play a word association game. What are the first things you think of when you hear "Ninth Circuit"?

Liberal. Western. Reversals.

The Ninth's reputation precedes it, and with the results of the recent spate of Supreme Court decisions, it may have reclaimed it's title as the most reversed circuit court in America (though the Sixth is certainly putting up a good fight).

In December, the ABA Journal stated that the Sixth Circuit had surpassed the infamous Ninth as the most reversed court, with an 81.6 percent reversal rate since the fall of 2005. The Ninth Circuit, which held the second-place spot, was reversed in "only" 78.1 percent of cases.

If you are a practicing attorney in California, you’ve seen what the budget apocalypse has done to the state courts. Some courthouses have closed in the name of “consolidation,” case numbers no longer match the courts, and lawyers and clients are driving all over Los Angeles before finding the correct venue.

The Federal system isn’t in quite as much distress, but it isn’t exactly thriving either. Sequestration measures are wreaking havoc on certain services provided by the judicial branch. A news release from the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday stated the problem as:

Lucky us. Across this fine nation, there are 84 vacancies in federal courts, 68 in U.S. District Courts, and 16 on U.S. Courts of Appeal, according to the fine folks at Courthouse News Service. If you've been following judicial appointments at all in the past couple years, you'll recognize that even when an appointment is made, the Senate refuses to confirm.

Good old gridlock.

Superior Court Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell finally cleared that gridlock on her second trip through the Senate confirmation process, by a vote of 92-0. That unanimous margin itself illustrates how uncontroversial her appointment was and how ridiculous things are in Washington D.C. The American Bar Association rated her "Unanimously Well Qualified" as well.

New to the Ninth Circuit? New to appellate work in general? The Appellate Mentoring Program is a new service offered by the Ninth Circuit that pairs volunteer mentors with those in need - whether they be new to the practice of law or simply rusty at appellate work.

Though the program will provide general assistance in appellate practice, there will be an emphasis on habeas corpus petitions and immigration law. Mentors must have experience in immigration, habeas petitions, and/or general appellate practice.

The program will be handled through Appellate Lawyer Representatives, who will recruit volunteer mentors and play matchmaker with incoming requests from mentees. The Ninth Circuit will include information on the program in the case opening materials and, when necessary, suggest the program to attorneys who could use the help.

We would understand if Ninth Circuit Court of Court of Appeals were a little hesitant to hop on a plane to Hawaii for "official business" these days.

After last year's Judicial Conference debacle — which actually sounded like a productive conference in a great location — Ninth Circuit judges need a good reason to travel to the Aloha State.

A reason like a hearing, perhaps ...

The Mayans predict that the end of the world will occur this Friday. If we survive, litigants who support teen conversion therapy in California are predicting a different kind of doomsday scenario in less than two weeks.

Back in October, California adopted SB 1172, a law barring mental health providers from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with patients under 18 years of age. This week, plaintiffs opposing SB 1172 continued their quest for an injunction against the bill.

Target sells Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) on its website for approximately $1,200. An untrained person can use this type of AED; the devices provide oral instructions and are "designed not to allow a user to administer a shock until after the device has analyzed a victim's heart rhythm and determined that an electric shock is required."

Target sells AEDs. It doesn't have a policy of keeping AEDs in its stores in case of emergencies.

But does it have to?

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals likes to set trends. We can appreciate that. But sometimes, trend-setting form interferes with function.

If you check the Ninth Circuit's website for newly released cases -- which we do, everyday -- you've probably noticed a change in the way that cases are displayed: The font is freakin' huge.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed H.B. 2036 into law in April 2012. The bill restricts and criminalizes an abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later, except in a "medical emergency." In August, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of the bill.

The law's supporters claim that H.B. 2036 protects maternal health, because abortions at 20 weeks or beyond are more dangerous than procedures performed earlier in pregnancy. Opponents say that medical emergency exception to the law is too narrow, and could jeopardize a woman's life or seriously harm her health.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals usually makes headlines for the cases that are decided inside the walls of the Beaux Arts building on Mission Street in San Francisco. Now, the building itself is making headlines.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar declared the James R. Browning United States Courthouse a national historic landmark last week, describing it as a "superlative Beaux-Arts public building exhibiting a complex merger of a number of artistic disciplines: architecture, sculpture, painting, stained-glass and decorative arts," SFAppeal reports.