Profile of Arthur Gilbert
JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE
Presiding Justice Court of Appeal.
November 1999–January 1, 2026
Second Appellate District, Division 6
Associate Justice Court of Appeal.
December 1982–November 1999
Second Appellate District, Division 6
Los Angeles Superior Court. Mar 1980-1982
Assignments included Juvenile (Supervising Judge, Inglewood), Criminal, Civil, and Law and Motion
Los Angeles Municipal Court. 1975-1980
Supervising Judge of Los Angeles Traffic Court. 1976-1977
Instituted:
Translations of traffic citations into Spanish;
Educational programs for DUI offenders;
Widespread community service programs
EDUCATION
Calif. Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER),
Judges College, Berkeley, Calif. 1976
LLB University of Calif. at Berkeley,
Boalt Hall. 1960-1963
Bachelor's Degree, University of Calif., Los Angeles;
Major in English Literature. 1956-1960
PAST LEGAL EXPERIENCE
Private Law Practice, specializing in commercial transactions and civil and criminal litigation. 1965-1975
Deputy City Attorney, City of Los Angeles, Trial Attorney in Criminal Division. 1964-1965
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Faculty, Calif. Judicial College, Berkeley, The Philosophy of Judging, CJER. 1978, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2000
Designed and taught an orientation program for new appellate justices, CJER. 1985-Present
Faculty at numerous judicial institutes sponsored by CJER and Calif. Judges Assn. (CJA). 1976-Present
Lecturer - Continuing Legal Education Program for Bar Associations, Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), The Rutter Group, CJA. The beginning of time to the Present
Chairperson, Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Court Interpreters. 1991
Governing Committee, CJER. 1978-1980, 1986-1988
Chairperson Appellate Courts Committee, CJA. 1987-1988
Faculty, Calif. Continuing Judicial Studies Program – Jurisprudence. 1980
Chairperson, Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Legal Forms. 1978-1979
NODS OF APPROVAL
2025 Distinguished Service Award Recipient – P.J. Arthur Gilbert. CA Supreme Court, San Francisco. Dec. 2025
Reception honoring P.J. Arthur Gilbert’s 50 Years of Distinguished Service, Court of Appeal, Los Angeles. Dec 2025
Separate special ceremonies honoring P.J. Arthur Gilbert’s 50 Years on the Bench – Santa Barbara Bar Assn.; Ventura Bar Assn.; Women Lawyers of Ventura County; & San Luis Obispo Bar Assn. Dec. 2025/Jan. 2026
Awarded the 2025 June Lockhart Humanitarian Award. 16th Anniversary Concert Extraordinaire, Disney Concert Hall. June 2025
Guest Speaker- National Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Aspen, CO. Feb. 2025
Awarded Metropolitan News “Person of the Year.” Feb. 2025
Awarded the Bernard E. Witkin Medal, Calif. Lawyers Assn., Sept. 2024
Interview with Professor Erwin Chemerinsky on his book, Worse than Nothing, The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism. May 2024
“The Art of Opinion Writing” – Discussion with Justice Josh Groban, Calif. Supreme Court, for statewide conference of appellate justices. Sept. 2023
Courtroom Dedication-Ceremony naming the Division 6 courtroom – The Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert Courtroom. Dec. 2, 2022
Presided over the Biblical Trial of Moses and His People with Professors Erwin Chemerinsky and Lori Levinson. American Jewish University. Aug. 2022
Lifetime Achievement Award So. Calif. Chinese Lawyers Assn., Apr. 2019
Panel speaker discussing People v. Zamora et al. that grew out of the “Zoot Suit” riots (memorialized in the musical Zoot Suit), sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. & Mexican-American Bar Assn. May 2018
Keynote speaker, State Bar, Inaugural Litigation and Appellate Summit in San Francisco. 2017
Outstanding Jurist Award, Los Angeles County Bar Assn. 2016
Keynote speaker, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern Calif. and Nevada. 2016
Award for Judicial Excellence, Beverly Hills Bar Assn. 2015
Guest speaker, State Bar 88th Annual Meeting, "Appeals: Write Right … Brief Brief Writing." 2015
Journalism Excellence Award, Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Assn. 2015
Honored by the Los Angeles Daily Journal in celebration of 25th anniversary as a columnist. 2013
Honoree and keynote speaker, Santa Monica Bar Assn. 2012
Keynote speaker, Calif. State Bar Appellate Conference. 2011
Speaker, Bernard Witkin Lecture Series, "Take Me Out of the Ball Game," sponsored by Witkin Foundation and Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. 2010
Beacon of Justice Award, Los Angeles County Law Library. 2008
"Deciding the Hard Case" – Great Minds Television Broadcast sponsored by CJER. 2006
Champions of Justice, Radio Interview KRLA 870 AM. 2006
“Distinguished Speaker” The Stephen E. O’Neil Memorial Lecture Series Loyola Law School. 2005
Faculty, Program for Serbian Judges, Prague, Czech Rep. "Judging in a Democratic Society." Program under auspices of Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI). 2001
Judicial Council Kleps Award for Judicial Outreach Program. 2000
Fellow of the Witkin Legal Institute. 1998-Present
"Appellate Justice of the Year" 1997, Roger J. Traynor Memorial Award, Consumer Attorneys Assn. of Los Angeles
Faculty, Program for Russian Judges, Moscow, Russia. What is a Fair Trial? Program under auspices of Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI). 1995
Judicial Excellence Award-Criminal Courts Bar Assn. 1994
Twice named "Appellate Justice of the Year" by Calif. Trial Lawyers Assn., now Consumer Attorneys of Calif. 1993 & 1984
Distinguished Jurist Award, Beverly Hills Bar Assn. 1992
Guest speaker Budapest, Hungary-Symposium for Hungarian Judges on American Jurisprudence, sponsored by Hungarian Ministry of Justice and the Center for Democratic Legal Institutions. 1991
Bernard S. Jefferson Award for contributions to legal education by CJA. 1987
Worked with Los Angeles City Attorney to institute domestic violence programs for appropriate offenders. 1977
As Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles Traffic Court, instituted program to have traffic tickets translated into Spanish. 1976
Began community service programs as conditions of probation in appropriate traffic and misdemeanor cases. Adopted on a wide scale throughout Los Angeles County. 1976
Instituted an outreach program for college and high school students to visit our court and hear cases in which they have read the briefs and spoken with the attorneys. 1990-Present
PUBLICATIONS
“Meeting Herb Morris – My years of preparation”
In Commemoration
Herb Morris, UCLA Professor of Law & Philosophy
2023 (edited by George Fletcher)
“March is the Cruelest (Cruellest) Month”
(Justice Norman Epstein)
California Legal History
Journal of the Calif. Supreme Court Historical Society
Vol. 18, 2023
“Finding Certainty and Often Solace Elusive” –
Book review of Tough Cases,
Calif. Supreme Court Historical Society Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2019
Under Submission Volume II
2008 - 2017
Published by The Daily Journal
[All proceeds go to legal aid to represent the poor and disadvantaged]
Under Submission
The Columns of Arthur Gilbert
The First 20 Years (1988-2008)
Published by The Rutter Group, A Division of Thomson West
[All proceeds go to legal charities and the Calif. Judges Foundation]
Selected columns from the Daily Journal
1988 to present.
Blog - Gilbertsubmits.Blogspot.com
"Kay Werdegar’s Enduring Legacy"
(Calif. Supreme Court Justice)
California Legal History
Journal of the Calif. Supreme Court Historical Society
Vol. 12, 2017
"The Roads Taken and Thoughts About Joe Grodin"
(Calif. Supreme Court Justice)
California Legal History
Journal of the California Supreme Court Historical Society
Vol. 10, 2015
"My Friend Elwood Lui"
California Supreme Court Historical Society Newsletter,
Spring/Summer 2012
Judicial Opinion, "Bad Behavior Does Not Win a Case"
California Litigation
Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of Calif.
Vol. 24, No. 3, 2011
“Catharsis But Not Real Life”
California Courts Review
Fall 2008
"The High Cost of Public Recognition"
California Courts Review
Summer 2007
"Dwelling on the Past"
Case in Point
The National Judicial College
Spring/Summer 2007
"The Untold Story Behind Moncharsh"
California Courts Review
Spring 2007
"Punch and Judy"
Advocate-Journal of Consumer Attorneys Assn. for So. Calif.
June 2007
"The Overlooked Value of the Past"
California Courts Review
Winter 2007
"The Lady on the Elliptical Machine"
Advocate-Journal of Consumer Attorneys Assn. for So. Calif.,
Oct. 2006
"The Dramatic Consequences of Words"
California Courts Review
Fall 2006
"Judicial Opinion - Judge's Perspective: "The Frightful Adventure of Judge Learned Foote and How it Turned Out"
Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
Civil Litigation Reporter
Vol. 28, No. 1, Feb. 2006
"The Art and Craft of Judging"
Advocate-Journal of Consumer Attorneys Assn. for So. Calif.
Oct. 2005
"Tempering the CSI Effect"
California Courts Review
Fall 2005
"The Truth About the Terri Schiavo Case"
Premier Edition of California Courts Review
Summer 2005
"Arts and Crafts"
The Judges Journal
American Bar Assn.
Vol. 42, No. 4, Fall 2003
Judicial Opinion, "Notes to Myself "
California Litigation
Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of Calif.
Vol. 16, No. 2, 2003
Editor and contributor to Yearly Supplements,
Jefferson's California Evidence Benchbook, 3rd ed.
Member of Editorial Board and contributor to various chapters
Jefferson's California Evidence Benchbook, 3rd ed. 1997,
published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
Consultant to Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
for publication of California Civil Appellate Practice, 3rd ed., 1996
"The Terror of Harmless Error"
California Litigation
Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of Calif.
Fall 1995
"A Conversation with B.E. Witkin" - Interview legendary legal scholar Bernard Witkin on his life and philosophy. Videotape produced by the CJA. Sept. 1994
"A Beacon of Justice" - Book Review of
The Justice From Beacon Hill: The Life and Times of Oliver Wendell Holmes, California Lawyer,
Sept. 1991
"Civility - It's Worth the Effort"
Trial, Journal of the Assn. of Trial Lawyers of America,
Apr. 1991
"Difficult Judges: How to Survive Them"
California Litigation
Journal of the Litigation Section, State Bar of Calif.
Vol.4, No.2. Winter 1991
Selections in book, Supreme Folly by Jones and Uelmen (1990),
W.W. Norton & Company
"The California Supreme Court in the 1990s,"
California Lawyer, Jan. 1990
"Intellects and Egos," a Book Review of Brandeis and Frankfurter: A Dual Biography,
Los Angeles Lawyer, Feb. 1985
"The Constitution Should Protect: Everyone--Even Lawyers,"
Pepperdine Law Review, Dec. 1984
"Judicial Discretion" Opinion Section,
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 1982
"The Choice to Die - A Private Matter"
Student Lawyer, publication of the American Bar Assn., May 1982
"Practicing in Juvenile Court – A Delicate Balance,"
Los Angeles Lawyer, Dec. 1981
"Juror Perceptions and How They Judge the Judges,"
The Judges Journal, a quarterly of the Judicial Administration Div. of the American Bar Assn., Spring 1979
OTHER INTERESTS
Star jazz pianist with the Big Band of Barristers.
Additional pursuits – too numerous to mention.
ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF WHAT IT IS LIKE BEING AN APPELLATE JUSTICE
"It's just the two of us in a room, --me
and my brain, only often I'm alone."