Ronald George
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Ronald M. George is the current Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court in 1991 by then-governor Pete Wilson, and has served as Chief Justice since March 28, 1996.
Legal Education
George graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1961. George then immediately enrolled in Stanford Law School, from where he received a J.D..
Legal Experience
Deputy Attorney General
From 1965 to 1972 George served Deputy Attorney General in California's Department of Justice. During his time there, he represented the state of California in 11 cases before the state's Supreme Court, and six before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Los Angeles Municipal Court
George was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court on April 20, 1972 by then-Governor Ronald Reagan. In 1976, he ran unopposed in an election to gain a six-year term. From 1974 to 1975, George served as the Supervising Judge in charge of the West Los Angeles Branch, and in 1977 he served as the Supervising Judge in charge of the Criminal Division. [1]
Los Angeles Superior Court
On December 23, 1977 then-Governor Edward Brown, Jr. appointed George to the Los Angeles Superior Court, where he eventually served for 10 years--winning re-election twice along the way in 1978 and 1984.
The most notable moment from his time on the Superior Court bench came in 1981, where he oversaw the People v. Angelo Buono, better known as the "Hillside Strangler Case". George rejected a motion from the prosecution to dismiss the charges, leading to a re-vamped prosecution that eventually convicted Buono on 9 of the 10 murder charges.[2]
Court of Appeal
George was appointed to the California Court of Appeal in 1987, by then-Governor George Deukmejian.
Supreme Court
George was finally appointed the California Supreme Court on July 29, 1991, by then-Governor Pete Wilson. He was appointed Chief Justice in 1996, and has served in that position ever since. During his time on the court, he has been praised for been well-written and pragmatic.
On Gay Marriage
On May 15, 2008 the California Supreme Court, backed by George's majority opinion, concluded that "equal respect and dignity" of marriage is a "basic civil right". This ruling overturned California's existing marriage laws.
Awards and Recognition
Recently George's work has garnered a myriad of notable awards, including:
- 2007 - American Bar Association's John Marshall Award
- 2007 - Legal Writing Institute's Golden Pen Award
- 2002 - William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence
See Also
External Links
References
- ↑ http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/justices/george.htm Ronald M. George Biography
- ↑ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/stranglers/17.html The Hillside Stranglers
