At 6pm on March 10, we had a discussion regarding service on juries.
A “jury of your peers” cannot happen without a diverse jury pool. We had a lively discussion with Superior Court Judge Dwayne K. Moring, Deputy District Attorney Dwain Woodley and Deputy Public Defender Euketa Oliver on how to ensure justice for all!
Judge Dwayne Moring
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Dwayne K. Moring to a judicial seat on the San Diego County Superior Court on July 21, 2008.
Judge Moring currently hears criminal matters as the Supervising Judge at the San Diego South County Courthouse. He is the first African-American Supervising Judge for the South County Courthouse. His previous assignment was in one of the old Central Courthouse Felony Settlement Departments where half of all the felony cases filed at the main courthouse were heard in his department. He was also assigned to the Juvenile Delinquency Court for three years.
Judge Moring tried approximately 75 felony and misdemeanor jury trials prior to his appointment. He has presided over approximately 50 jury trials as a judge.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Moring was a Deputy District Attorney in the Sex Crimes and Stalking Division of the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. Previously, Judge Moring was a Deputy Alternate Public Defender with the San Diego Alternate Public Defender’s Office, and a Deputy City Attorney in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.
Judge Moring is a board member of the San Diego Judges Association, a Sustaining Member of the San Diego Lawyers Club, a lifetime member of both the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association and Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation, and a Master with the J. Clifford Wallace American Inn of Court. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the: California Judges Association, Crawford High School Academy of Law, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and the University Club Atop Symphony Towers of San Diego. He is also a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Judge Moring is the recipient of several awards for his involvement in the legal community. In October 2017 he was recognized by Pepperdine University as one of its “Top 40 Over 40 Alumni.” He was honored with the “Flame Of Inspiration Award” by the Thomas Jefferson School Of Law Black Law Student Association in March 2008 acknowledging his mentorship of minority law students. In 2007, Judge Moring received the “Outstanding Service By A Public Attorney Award” from the San Diego County Bar Association. He also received the San Diego County Sexual Assault Response Team’s “Response With A Heart Award” in appreciation of his significant contribution to sexual assault prosecution in 2007.
Judge Moring received his juris doctor degree from Pepperdine School of Law in 1991. He also attended Pepperdine University as an undergraduate where he received a Bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1984.
Judge Moring was born and raised in San Diego, California.
Dwain Woodley
Dwain Woodley was appointed to Chief Deputy District Attorney at the San Diego District Attorney’s office by District Attorney Summer Stephan in 2018. Chief Woodley, a 31 year attorney and Navy Jag Corps veteran, earned his B.A. from McDaniel College 1986 and earned his J.D. the University of Maryland Law School in 1989.
As a Navy Jag Woodley gained experience as a defense attorney and later joined the Office of the Public Defender of San Diego County where he represented indigent clients. In 2001 he joined the office of the District Attorney of San Diego County where he led Superior Court Division, Juvenile and South Bay Divisions.
Chief Deputy Woodley was raised in Baltimore Maryland in a family that instilled the importance of public service. He recognizes that the community must have trust in the fairness of the judicial system for it to work effectively and that having prosecutors from diverse backgrounds provides an extra level of confidence that the system is fair to its citizens. Chief Woodley also understands that community safety is more than incarceration. The judicial system as a whole should have a greater purpose – to prevent crime and to create a peaceful, law-abiding society.
Euketa Oliver
Euketa Oliver is a Deputy Public Defender with the San Diego County Office of the Primary Public Defender. For over 15 years, her practice has focused on representing indigent individuals in their criminal and appellate matters. For the past 3 years, Euketa has worked in the Writs and Appeals Unit, where she is responsible for providing legal advice to approximately 200 attorneys, office-wide trainings on new laws and legislation, as well as conducting extensive legal research and writing. As a Deputy Public Defender, Euketa has handled over 70 jury trials. She has argued appellate matters before the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One and the San Diego Superior Court Appellate Division. Prior to her legal career, Euketa obtained a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology. Euketa is Immediate Past President of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation; co-chair of Lawyers Club of San Diego, Diverse Women’s Committee; serves on the San Diego Superior Court’s Anti-Bias Legal Equality (ABLE) committee, and member of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Bench-Bar Committee.