Jay R. Ballantyne

Jay R. Ballantyne is a retired Associate Justice from the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District. He was appointed to this position by Governor Deukmejian on April 17, 1986, succeeding Associate Justice Kenneth Andreen who had retired. His appointment was confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments on May 16, 1986, the same day he took his oath. He retired from the bench on August 31, 1988. Before his appointment to the Court of Appeal, Ballantyne served as a Judge for the Superior Court in Tulare County from June 20, 1966, to May 16, 1986. He was elected to this position in June 1966 for a term that began in January 1967. He was appointed to this position on an interim basis by Governor Brown, Sr. on June 17, 1966, until his elected term began. He was re-elected in 1972, 1978, and 1984. He served as the Presiding Judge from July 1983 to July 1984. In terms of past employment, Ballantyne served as the District Attorney, Public Guardian, and Public Administrator from 1959 to 1966. He was also a Deputy District Attorney in Tulare County from 1952 to 1953. He had a private law practice in Visalia, California from 1953 to 1958, where he was a partner at McKinney and Ballantyne. He was also an associate at a North Hollywood law firm from 1952 to 1953. Ballantyne has been a member of several organizations including the International Academy of Trial Judges (serving as President in 1992), the California Judges Association (serving as Vice President from 1982 to 1983), the American Legion, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Lions Club. He was also the Chair of the California Obscenity Study Commission from 1965 to 1967. In terms of education, Ballantyne earned his LL.B. in 1951 from Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles, California. He also holds a B.S. degree from the University of Southern California, which he earned in 1948. Ballantyne was born on May 4, 1926, in Cumberland, Wyoming. He is married and has four children. He enjoys playing tennis and golf. He was admitted to the California Bar on January 9, 1952. He is a member of the Latter-Day Saints Church (Mormon).