Profile of James D. Ward

Name: James D. Ward

Born September 8, 1935

Position: Associate Justice for the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two

• Served from 1996 to 2005.

Memberships/Awards:

• California Judges Association since 1993
• Chair of the Public Information and Education Committee (1995–1996)
• President of the Citizens University Committee (1995–1997)
• Co-founder and Chair of UCR Law, an organization promoting the creation of a law school at UC Riverside.
• Jurist of the Year Award from the Judicial Council of California, 2003
• Pride in the Profession Award from the State Bar of California, 2003

Prior Judicial Assignments:

• Judge of the Superior Court in Riverside County from 1993 to 1996
  • Appointed to this role by Governor Wilson on November 29, 1993, succeeding Judge Ronald T. Deissler, and took his oath on December 27, 1993. He was elected unopposed in 1994.

Appointment/Election:

• Appointed Associate Justice by Governor Wilson on April 24, 1996, taking over for retired Justice Dabney, and confirmed by the electorate on November 3, 1998.

Education:

• B.A. in History from the University of South Dakota
• J.D. from the University of San Francisco Law School

Bar Admissions: California Bar on January 9, 1960, and to the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14, 1979.

Military Service: Ward served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1960, rising from private to First Sergeant, and in the Army Reserve from 1960 to 1965.