California Appellate Court Legacy Project

The Legacy Project recounts the stories and preserves the rich judicial history of California judges, courts, and law through the voices of the justices who helped shape the development of California law in the 20th century.

The project was developed in 2006 as part of statewide efforts undertaken to commemorate the Centennial of the California Courts of Appeal in 2005.

Contact Info

Legacy Unit
(415) 865-4250
legacyproject@jud.ca.gov

"The Backbone of the Justice System" is a compilation of clips from Legacy Project interviews.

The oral history archive comprises more than 150 videotaped interviews of retired justices of the Courts of Appeal, as well as active justices who may be nearing retirement. Interviewers were selected from within the state's appellate branch, and in most instances the interviews were conducted by a justice who currently serves in the retired justice's former court.

The interviews touched upon a host of personal and professional recollections, including childhood and youth, education, law school years, judicial careers and other government service, judicial philosophies, notable opinions, concurrences and dissents, significant historical events, and the attitudes, events, and experiences that have shaped the justices' perspectives.

The resulting archive is a historical record of the personal experiences of individual justices and the changes that have emerged over the years in the California judicial system and the legal profession.

Staff of the Judicial Council of California continue to schedule interviews with justices as they retire from the bench. See below for photos, videos, transcripts, and biographies of the retired justices that have been interviewed to date. They are listed by the appellate district in which a justice served and sorted in alphabetical order.

Fifth Appellate District

Kenneth Andreen

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James A. Ardaiz

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Jay R. Ballantyne

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Timothy S. Buckley

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Dennis Cornell

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Betty Dawson

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Stephen J. Kane

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Robert L. Martin

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James F. Thaxter

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Steven M. Vartabedian

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Rebecca Wiseman

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George N. Zenovich

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First Appellate District

Carl W. Anderson

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Terence L. Bruiniers

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Betty B. Deal

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Robert L. Dondero

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Robert L. Dossee

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Zerne P. Haning, III

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Daniel M. Hanlon

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Robert F. Kane

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Laurence D. Kay

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Donald B. King

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J. Anthony Kline

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Harry W. Low

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James Marchiano

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William A. Newsom, Jr.

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Joanne C. Parrilli

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J. Clinton Peterson

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Marcel Poché

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Stuart R. Pollak

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John T. Racanelli

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Maria P. Rivera

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Ignacio J. "Nace" Ruvolo

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M.O. Sabraw

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Gabriel P. Sanchez

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Patricia K. Sepulveda

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Peter J Siggins

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Gary E. Strankman

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Douglas E. Swager

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Herbert W. Walker

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Fourth Appellate District

Richard M. Aronson

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Patricia D. Benke

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Gerald Brown

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Gordon Cologne

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Charles W. Froehlich

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Richard D. Fybel

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John G. Gabbert

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Barton C. Gaut

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Judith L. Haller

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Thomas Hollenhorst

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Richard D. Huffman

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Raymond Ikola

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Daniel J. Kremer

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Gerald J. Lewis

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Judith D. McConnell

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Franklin D. McDaniel

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Alex C. McDonald

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James A. McIntyre

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Art W. McKinster

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Eileen C. Moore

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Gilbert Nares

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Manuel A. Ramirez

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William F. Rylaarsdam

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Harmon G. Scoville

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David Sills

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Sheila P. Sonenshine

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Robert J. Timlin

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William L. Todd, Jr.

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John K. Trotter, Jr.

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Edward J. Wallin

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James D. Ward

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Howard B. Wiener

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Second Appellate District

Richard Abbe

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Arthur L. Alarcón

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Richard Aldrich

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Orville Armstrong

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Herbert L. Ashby

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Elizabeth A. Baron

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Edwin F. Beach

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Paul Boland

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Roger W. Boren

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Paul Coffee

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Lynn D. "Buck" Compton

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Candace D. Cooper

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Daniel A. Curry

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Robert R. Devich

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Halim Dhanidina

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Norman L. Epstein

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Robert Feinerman

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Macklin Fleming

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Arthur Gilbert

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Jack E. Goertzen

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Margaret M. Grignon

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J. Gary Hastings

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James H. Hastings

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Edward A. Hinz, Jr.

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Shirley M. Hufstedler

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Frank Jackson

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Earl Johnson, Jr.

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Patti S. Kitching

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Joan D. Klein

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Sandy R. Kriegler

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Elwood G. Lui

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Robert M. Mallano

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William A. Masterson

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Richard M. Mosk

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Richard C. Neal

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Michael G. Nott

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Reuben A. Ortega

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Steven Z. Perren

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Steven J. Stone

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Robert S. Thompson

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Charles S. Vogel

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Miriam A. Vogel

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Arleigh M. Woods

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John Zebrowski

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Laurie Zelon

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Sixth Appellate District

Nat Agliano

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Harry F. Brauer

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Christopher C. Cottle

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Richard J. McAdams

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Nathan Mihara

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William M. Wunderlich

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Third Appellate District

Coleman A. Blease

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Consuelo M. Callahan

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Rodney Davis

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Hugh A. Evans

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Fred K. Morrison

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George W. Nicholson

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Robert K. Puglia

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Ronald B. Robie

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Arthur G. Scotland

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Richard M. Sims, III

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Keith F. Sparks

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