CRIMINAL JUSTICE WALL OF FAME

CRIMINAL JUSTICE WALL OF FAME In Honor of Los Angeles Judges and Lawyers Whose Outstanding Conduct and Professionalism Made Significant Contributions to the Criminal Justice System During Their Lifetimes 1850 2000 JUDGES CRIMINAL DEFENSE COUNSEL PROSECUTORS John F. Aiso Harold Ackerman Kathryn J. McDonald Thomas L. Ambrose William Tell Aggeler Hayes F. Mead John G. Barnes Joseph A. Ball William B. Neeley Earl C. Broady Betty T. Berry James P. Nunnelley Georgia P. Bullock Richard S. Buckley Earl Rogers David Coleman Grant B. Cooper Gladys Towles Root Lewis Drucker Ellery E. Cuff Joseph M. Rosen Charles W. Fricke Charles R. English Frank Rothman Benjamin I. Hayes Jerry Giesler Joseph Scott Volney E. Howard Richard B. Goethals Max Solomon Edwin L. Jefferson Jack W. Hardy Maxwell M. Spencer Bernard Lawler Mark J. Horton John A. Tolmasov Agustin Olvera Clarence S. Hunt Frederick H. Vercoe Kathleen Parker Gerald D. Lenoir Stephen M. White Philip H. Richards Noel B. Martin A. L. Wirin Gordon S. Ringer Al Matthews Walton J. Wood William L. Ritzi Ygnacio Sepulveda Thomas P. White David W. Williams Donald R. Wright Adolph Alexander Joseph P. Busch Joseph L. Carr John F. Dockweiler Thomas P. Finnerty David N. Fitts Clara Shortridge Foltz W. Joseph Ford John D. Fredericks William E. James George W. Kemp Edward J.C. Kewen J. Miller Leavy Charles Matthews S. Ernest Roll Ted C. Sten Jere J. Sullivan Cameron E. Thom Fred N. Whichello Thomas L. Woolwine Evelle J. Younger

CRIMINAL JUSTICE WALL OF FAME In Honor of Los Angeles Judges and Lawyers Whose Outstanding Conduct and Professionalism Made Significant Contributions to the Criminal Justice System During Their Lifetimes 2001 - JUDGES CRIMINAL DEFENSE COUNSEL PROSECUTORS M. Ross Bigelow Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. James G. Kolts Mildred L. Lillie Albert C. S. Ramsey Bonnie Lee Martin Richard A. Walton Nancy Belcher Watson

Judges 1850-2000 John F. Aiso (1909-1987) Justice Aiso was born on December 14, 1909. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1934. Justice Aiso was in private practice in New York and Los Angeles between 1935 and 1952. He received a gubernatorial appointment to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1953. He was subsequently elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Justice Aiso was appointed tot he California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District on November 4, 1968. In World War II, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. He was the highest ranking Japanese American in World War II. He was awarded the Legion of Merit by President Lyndon Johnson for his World War II Service. Justice Aiso was inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame in 1991. Justice Aiso was an outstanding lawyer, a superlative military officer, and a very distinguished jurist. Thomas L. Ambrose (1872-1965) Born in Dexter, Maine on September 28, 1872, Thomas Lyford Ambrose came to California in 1886. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1912. Judge Ambrose served in the legislature from 1913 to 1917, and again in 1919. Judge Ambrose received his LL.B. from USC in 1916. After he was admitted to the Bar, he continued to serve in the Legislature. In 1919, Judge Ambrose served on the Civil Service Commission. From 1923 through 1926, Judge Ambrose served as a Justice of the Peace for the Los Angeles Township Court. Subsequently Judge Ambrose was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court. He served one term as Presiding Judge. Judge Ambrose was elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1936. He retired from that court in 1956. Judge Ambrose was respected for his demeanor and compassion by the criminal defense bar. He presided over many notorious cases. The most publicized was the trial of Earl Kynette a police lieutenant accused of bombing an investigator s car, and the home of Clifford Clinton, a political reformer and restaurant owner. John G. Barnes (1900-1979) Judge Barnes was born in Sydney Australia. He received his law degree from USC in 1923 and was admitted to practice the same year. From 1929 to 1952 Judge Barnes worked at the District Attorney s office in Los Angeles, first as a deputy District Attorney, and then as Assistant District Attorney. As a prosecutor, his famous cases included the trial of Louise Peete, who was sent to the gas chamber for killing the wife of an aged and wealthy friend. Judge Barnes was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1952, and elevated to Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1959. Judge Barnes was admired for his judicial demeanor and balanced treatment of counsel on both sides.

Earl C. Broady (1904-1992) I not only was born across the tracks. I was born on the wrong side of that place across the tracks, Judge Broady once said. A native of Los Angeles, Judge Broady began working as a janitor at age thirteen. He also worked as a mail carrier, was an accomplished pianist, and a band leader. He is also remembered as a generous philanthropist. He began his career in criminal law by joining the Los Angeles Police Department in 1927. He was one of the first African American police officers to be elevated to the rank of Lieutenant and Watch Commander. Judge Broady attended night classes at USC and the Los Angeles College of Law. He left the LAPD in 1944 to practice law. He was later elected President of the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Broady served as Chief Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. He was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court on June 7, 1965. He retired in 1978. Judge Broady was a member of the McCone Commission which studied the causes behind the Watts riots. Georgia P. Bullock (1878-1957) Georgia Bullock was born in Chicago in 1878. She decided to become an attorney after her husband passed away even though she did not need to earn an income. She graduated from USC law school in 1914. Shortly after graduation, Judge Bullock served as a special referee without pay for three years for the Women s Court a section of the Police Court for women s cases. While serving as a referee, she mastered the challenge of serving private practice clients while meeting her responsibilities as a single mom. In 1917, she joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. In 1924, she was appointed as a judge on the Woman s Court. Two years later, the Woman s Court was absorbed into the Los Angeles Municipal Court. As a result, she became a municipal court judge. Judge Bullock was appointed to the Superior Court in 1932. She was the first woman to serve as a Superior Court Judge in California. She was also the first female member of the Los Angeles Bar Association. David Coleman (1898-1976) Born in Waco Texas on January 02, 1898, David Coleman served in World War I. He subsequently earned his law degree from Harvard. Before becoming an attorney, Judge Coleman worked on the editorial staff of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Salt Lake Telegram, San Francisco Bulletin and Los Angeles Examiner. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1928 and specialized in criminal law. Judge Coleman served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney from 1929 to 1937. He prosecuted many high profile cases while serving in that office. Judge Coleman was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1947. He was elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1949. Judge Coleman served as president of the Los Angeles Jewish Community Council, and worked with countless civic groups, charities and institutions. Judge Coleman presided over the celebrated Finch-Tregoff trial. Judge Coleman was known for his humanity and compassion. For example, in 1948, he accepted a ten-pound jar of honey for a $5 traffic fine when the defendant said she had no money.

Lewis Drucker (1904-1998) Judge Drucker is remembered for his considerable talents as a jurist and dedication to public service. Before attending law school, Judge Drucker served as Deputy Assessor for Los Angeles County, and subsequently as Deputy Clerk for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. He studied law while working as a clerk. After graduating from Southwestern University School of Law in 1932, Judge Drucker continued to work as a clerk and later served as a commissioner for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Twenty-eight years later, he became presiding judge of the Criminal Court the same court where he had worked as a clerk. Before taking the bench, Judge Drucker served on Governor Earl Warren s staff. He was appointed as the first Chairman of the California Adult Authority and served as Chairman of the American Prison Association s classified and casework committee. He was a California Deputy Attorney General from 1940 to 1944. During World War II, he served as Civilian Chairman of the Special Army Clemency Board. Judge Drucker was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1947. He was elevated to Superior Court in 1953 Charles W. Fricke (1882-1958) Charles W. Fricke moved to Los Angeles in 1917 after a distinguished career in his hometown of Milwaukee Wisconsin. A graduate of New York University Law School, he served as a Deputy District Attorney and as a municipal judge in Wisconsin. In 1927 he was appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles. He earned a reputation as one of the leading authorities on California Criminal law. As a prosecutor, his notable cases included the conviction of Clara Tiger Woman Phillips. Judge Fricke served as a Superior Court Judge from 1927 to 1958. He presided over the trials of Alexander Pantages, Joe Jeffers, Robert Rattlesnake James, Caryl the red-light bandit Chessman, and Barbara Graham. Judge Fricke also distinguished himself as a scholar and published several popular and well regarded textbooks entitled California Criminal Law, California Criminal Evidence, and California Criminal Procedure. He served as President of the Southern California Academy of Criminology. He also lectured at Loyola University and the Los Angeles Police Academy. Benjamin I. Hayes (1815-1877) When Benjamin Hayes tied his mule to the pillar of the Bella Union Hotel in 1850, the practice of law by Americans began in Los Angeles. He is now best known as a prodigious chronicler of early Californian history. Upon arrival, Judge Hayes observed there seemed little hope for a lawyer. Rents were high, rooms difficult to get.... Boarding at the two public houses was from $7 to $10 per week; the tailor charged $35 for making a coat, and $8 for pantaloons. The monte banks were everywhere thronged. He was born in Baltimore, attended William and Mary College. He was admitted to practice in Maryland prior to his arrival in California. Because he spoke Spanish,

Judge Hayes quickly became acquainted with the leading figures in Los Angeles and was invaluable as a translator of state laws. He was elected county attorney in 1850 but resigned the following year. In 1852, he was elected as a judge of the first judicial district of California, which included Los Angeles and San Diego counties. He was the first judge to hold court at the old clock tower building on Temple Street. Although he was a Southern sympathizer, his notable cases include a decision preventing a man from transporting slaves to Texas because by prohibiting slavery, the California Constitution emancipated all slaves brought into the State. Judge Hayes also served for a year as a district attorney in San Diego and then as state assemblyman in 1867-68. Volney E. Howard (1809-1889) Volney Howard was born in Norridgewock, Maine. He was a member of the Mississippi State House of Representatives in 1836, and later a member of Congress from Texas. He also practiced law in Sacramento and San Francisco where he opposed the local vigilance committee. In Los Angeles he served as District Attorney from 1863 to1 867 and again from 1873 to 1876. Judge Howard was a charter member and vice president of the Los Angeles Bar Association, founded in 1878. Before taking the bench he was known as one of the most reliable and best liked attorneys in Los Angeles. At a time when the City was experiencing its most unruly years, he had an impeccable reputation as a judge. He participated in the State Constitutional Convention of 1878 to 1879 that reorganized the State s judicial branch. When the first Los Angeles Superior Court was created in 1879, Volney Howard was one of two judges elected to serve on that Court. Edwin L. Jefferson (1905-1989) Judge Jefferson was born in Coffeeville, Mississippi on May 22, 1905. While completing his undergraduate education and law degree at USC, he worked as a campus janitor and as a steward on the Santa Catalina Island steamers. From 1931 to 1941, he was in private practice. Judge Jefferson was known for his fairness and impartiality. Appointed to Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1941 and elevated to Los Angles County Superior Court in 1949, Judge Jefferson was the first African American judge to serve at that level outside New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He later became the first African American appellate court justice in the State of California, as an Associate Justice Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District. He served more than thirty-four years on the court. Bernard Lawler (1913-1985) A native of Los Angeles, Judge Lawler attended the Universities of Santa Clara, UCLA, Creighton, and received his law degree from Georgetown University. He was admitted to the bar in 1936 and started out in private practice. Prior to World War II, he worked for the City Attorney s Office in El Segundo. From 1942 to 1947 he worked as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was appointed to Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1953. Judge

Lawler was elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1961 where he served until he retired in 1981. Agustín Olvera ( 1821-1876) Agustín Olvera was born in Mexico in 1821. He arrived in Alta California in 1834. Judge Olvera was an eminent figure in the early history of Los Angeles. Judge Olvera held various offices in the Mexican government before California became part of the United States of America. He helped to bridge the gap between the governance of California by Mexico and the United States. As a Mexican Commissioner, he was one of the officials who signed the Treaty of Cahuenga ending the war with Mexico. United States Military Governor Riley appointed Olvera to be Judge of the First Instance in 1849. Augustin Olvera was subsequently elected the first County judge of the newly formed County of Los Angeles in 1850. He relied upon a bilingual sheriff to translate the proceedings from Spanish because Judge Olvera did not speak English when he first took the bench. Along with his legal duties, Judge Olvera was also responsible, with his two associate justices, for administering County business until the establishment of the Board of Supervisors two years later. When his term expired in 1853, he entered the private practice of law. In 1877, the Los Angeles City Council changed the name of Wine Street to Olvera Street in his honor. He held the first County trials in his home near the historic Olvera Street marketplace and plaza. Kathleen Parker (1905-1996) At a time when female attorneys were still quite rare, the combination of her dignified demeanor and sense of humor helped make her a role model for many women entering the profession in the '50s, '60s and '70s. Judge Parker was the first woman ever elected to the Los Angeles Superior Court. She was born in 1905 in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1923. Her first job was as a secretary. Years later, she took some law courses at Southwestern University Law School with the idea of becoming a legal secretary. After taking a secretarial job at a law firm, she decided to become an attorney, and received a law degree from Pacific Coast University. She was admitted to the State Bar in 1943. She returned to the same firm as a lawyer. In 1946, she became a hearing examiner for the Immigration & Naturalization Service. She also served as a research attorney for the California Court of Appeal. Before taking the bench, Judge Parker returned to private practice with the same firm. Appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1957, she heard mostly criminal matters and developed a reputation as an outstanding jurist. In 1962, her friends encouraged her to run for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. She was opposed by thirteen men. She won the election. Judge Parker heard some notorious cases, including the trial of Deputy District Attorney Jack Kirschke, who was accused of murdering his wife and her lover. Judge Parker also presided over the trial of Black Panther leader Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, and a murder trial involving a San Jose cheese factory owner with alleged Mafia ties. Judge Parker retired in 1975. As a retired judge she continued to preside on trials for more than fifteen years, pursuant to successive ninety-day assignments. In 1986, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise paid tribute to Judge Parker as "Person of the Year" in recognition of her thirty years of outstanding judicial service

Philip H. Richards (1894-1986) A native of Riverside County, Judge Richards graduated from Los Angeles High School and attended Pomona College before receiving his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1917. After serving in the army during World War I, he entered Stanford Law School. He graduated in 1921. He was in private practice until he was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench in 1947. From 1964 through 1979, he was the consultant to the Los Angeles County Superior Court committee that drafted criminal law instructions (CALJIC) and civil law instructions (BAJI). His notable decisions included the approval of the city's plan to renovate the Bunker Hill area which lead to the development of the skyscrapers that now dominate the Los Angeles skyline. Judge Richards was also President of the Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the University Club of Los Angeles. Cordon S. Ringer (1929-1998) Born in New York, Judge Ringer received a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in french literature from UCLA before going on to law school at USC. He served as a law clerk for the Los Angles Superior Court and the California Court of Appeal. In the sixties, he served as a Deputy Attorney General. He was the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Los Angeles office from 1967 to 1969. After serving for three years as director of a joint legislative committee to revise the California Penal Code, Judge Ringer was appointed to Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1972. Judge Ringer heard some notable cases, including the last of the Manson family cases (the third trial of Leslie Van Houton) and the "Watergate West" trial concerning the break-in at the office of former Department of Defense aide Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. In the Ellsberg case, Judge Ringer ruled that President Richard Nixon could be subpoenaed as a witness. Among his colleagues, and those who appeared before him, Judge Ringer was known for his intellect, patience, and outstanding judicial temperament. William L. Ritzi (1915-1980) Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, Judge Ritzi received his law degree from USC in 1941. After graduating, Ritzi worked as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Paul J. McCormick. He later served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1944 to 1947. He subsequently worked as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney for nearly twenty years, and then as the assistant district attorney from 1966 to 1969. He was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court by Governor Reagan in 1969. Judge Ritzi was known for his even keel, informal style, and rapport with attorneys. He once said that he assumed that every lawyer is a gentlemen and tried to treat each that way. Judge Ritzi also taught courses at UCLA, Arizona State College, and at USC s Delinquency Control Institute. Judge Ritzi was also active in civic organizations.

Ygnacio Sepulveda (1842-1916) In 1879, along with Judge Volney Howard, Judge Sepulveda was elected as one of the first two judges for Los Angeles Superior Court. Born in Los Angeles, Judge Sepulveda was admitted to the bar in 1862. He represented the second district in the California State Assembly from 1863 to 1865. His career also included two terms as Charges d Affaires for the United States in Mexico City. He also served as the Wells Fargo Representative in Mexico City from 1884 to 1914. Prior to the creation of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Sepulveda sat on the bench as a County Judge for the County of Los Angeles from 1870 to 1873. He then served on the California District Court for Los Angeles a judicial body that disappeared with the creation of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Judge Sepulveda was greatly admired by his peers and the citizens of Los Angeles. Thomas P. White (1888-1968) A native of Los Angeles, Justice White became the youngest judge in the United States when he was named to the Los Angeles Police Court in 1913. Justice White graduated from USC and was admitted to the bar in 1911. He left that post to begin a successful career in private practice in 1919. He was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1931. Justice White was elevated to the California Court of Appeal in 1937. From 1949 to 1959 he served as Presiding Justice of the Second Appellate District. With his appointment to the California Supreme Court in 1959, Justice White served on every level of courts in the state judicial system. He retired from the California Supreme Court in 1962. Known as a champion of individual rights and liberties, Justice White won national recognition for establishing the Women s Court in 1913. He also initiated the probation system in Los Angeles County. David W. Williams (1910-2000) Judge Williams was a native of Atlanta but grew up in South-Central Los Angeles. He worked his way through UCLA and the law school at USC by mopping bank floors and running errands at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. He was admitted to the California bar in 1937. In the 1940s, he joined a small group of African American attorneys who worked with Thurgood Marshall, and the NAACP, to fight the restrictive covenants barring minorities from residing in many parts of Los Angeles. The covenants were declared unconstitutional in 1948. Judge Williams was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1956 and to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1963. He was appointed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California in 1969. Judge Williams was the first African American federal judge west of the Mississippi. He took on difficult assignments as a judge. For example, he presided over roughly 4,000 criminal cases stemming from the 1965 Watts riots. He took senior status in 1989 but maintained a heavy caseload, and continued to review cases in his sickbed up until his death.

Donald IL Wright (1907-1985) Chief Justice Donald Wright served at every level of the California state judiciary. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1932, Chief Justice Wright worked in private practice in Pasadena for twenty years. During World War II, he served as an intelligence officer in the Army Air Corps at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1953 he was appointed to the Pasadena Municipal Court. He served as a judge on Los Angeles Superior Court from 1961 to 1968. Governor Reagan appointed him to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District in 1968. Two years later, Governor Reagan elevated Justice Wright to the California Supreme Court where he served as Chief Justice from 1970 to 1977. Under Chief Justice Wright s leadership the Court expanded rules regarding the exclusion of unlawfully obtained evidence in criminal cases. It barred police from spying on people in public restrooms and from attending university classes to gather information on dissidents. He was known as a guardian of judicial independence. Associate Justice Stanley Mosk would later remark that in all his years on the bench he had known no more genuine, 18-carat human being beneath a judicial robe than Donald R. Wright.

Criminal Defense Counsel 1850-2000 Harold Ackerman (1919-1997) Born in Melfort, province of Saskatchewan, Canada, Judge Ackerman became a United States citizen in 1941. He served with the 26th Infantry Division of the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he earned a B.A. and law degree from U.C. Berkeley. He graduated from Boalt Hall in 1949. From 1950 through 1965 he worked in private practice as a criminal defense attorney, later becoming an expert in death penalty trials and appeals, as well as habeas corpus proceedings. He also taught classes in criminal procedure. After serving as a Chief Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1966. He was elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1968. Judge Ackerman was also a co-founder and served as President of the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association. William Tell Aggeler (1866-1937) A native of Downieville, California, Judge Aggeler earned an LL.B. from the University of Michigan in 1893. He received a J.D. in 1925, and an LL.D in 1930 from Loyola University. He served as Chief Deputy Public Defender from 1914-1921, and Public Defender from 1921 to 1927, Judge Aggeler was an important figure in the early development of the pubic defender s office. In 1927 he became a Superior Court judge. He was associated as a faculty member at Loyola Law School from its very beginning. Later he was described by fellow jurists as a man of ideal temperament to preside over criminal trials. Judge Aggeler was known for a fine appreciation of social justice and he never yielded to expediency at the expense of his principles. He was praised by his peers as an exemplar on the bench, in practice and as a professor. His son, Judge Leo Aggeler, served as a Judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. Another son, Judge Mervyn Aggeler, served as a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Joseph A. Ball (1902-2000) Mr. Ball graduated from law school at USC. He was awarded the Order of the Coif. He passed the California State Bar examination in 1927. After working for the Los Angeles District Attorney s Office, he entered into private practice in Long Beach. Mr. Ball once refused to defend a wealthy man by saying I value my reputation as a lawyer more than you as a client. He turned down another case by saying I can get another client but I can t get another reputation. He was President of the State Bar of California, as well as the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the recipient of countless awards and honors across the nation. He taught Criminal Procedure for sixteen years at USC s law school. It was the most popular course. He served on the Warren Commission which investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. Mr. Ball also served on the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules for Criminal Procedure, the California Law Revision Commission, and the Committee to Revise the

Constitution of California. In 73 years as a courtroom lawyer, he tried over 500 cases. In an appellate opinion discussing the poor use of language, Justice Gerald Brown remarked not everyone can be a Daniel Webster, a William Jennings Bryan or a Joseph A. Ball. Joseph Ball represented some of the most loved and most hated people in society. His clients included wealthy oil sheiks and prominent Watergate figures. He took up unpopular causes, sometimes because no one else would. At the same time, he attracted the clients everyone else wanted because of his universal reputation for unimpeachable integrity. Betty T. Berry (1884-1973) Betty T. Berry was raised in New York. She joined the nation s first Public Defender s Office in Los Angeles about the time it started in 1914. She was the first woman to serve in a public defender s office in the United States. Ms. Berry graduated from the Southwestern University School of Law in 1915. She was its first graduate. In 1933, she received a Ph.D. degree from USC. In 1933, Ms. Berry was appointed president of the Girls Collegiate School in Glendora, California. Ms. Berry was highly respected in her community for her many accomplishments including her prowess as a concert pianist. Richard S. Buckley (1915-1979) Richard S. Buckley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1915. He received his law degree from the USC School of Law in 1938. He began his service in World War II as a private. He was promoted to the rank of Captain. He was also awarded the Bronze Star for bravery. He was appointed to the Office of the Public Defender by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1967. He served in that position until he retired in 1976. He demonstrated his independence as an advocate for his clients by filing a civil action against the County Probation Department to prevent it from sending juveniles to the state prison in Chino due to the overcrowded conditions in Juvenile Hall. He also filed an action against the Los Angeles Superior Court, challenging the under-representation of minorities in the jury pool. Grant B. Cooper (1903-1990) Born in New York, Grant B. Cooper dropped out of high school and did odd jobs, finally signing on with an oil tanker that brought him to California. After a bout of seasickness, he accepted a job offer from a lawyer uncle. He subsequently enrolled in the Southwestern University School of Law. Mr. Cooper graduated in 1926 and passed the bar in 1927. Mr. Cooper later served as Chief Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. As a prosecutor, he helped Mayor Fletcher Bowron rid the city of a gambling syndicate. He also persuaded juries to recommend the death penalty in several cases. In later years, however, he voiced his personal opposition to capital punishment. He was a founding member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Vice-President of the California State Bar. As a defense attorney, his clients included Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, Dr. R. Bernard Finch, and Judge Lloyd Davis. Judge Davis was acquitted by reason of insanity for stabbing his wife.

Ellery E. Cuff (1896-1988) A native son, Ellery E. Cuff did his undergraduate study at St. Mary s. He received his law degree at USC in 1924. He served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He joined the Los Angeles County Probation Department in 1924. He transferred to the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office as a deputy public defender in 1928. He was counsel in cases ordinary and infamous, like that of mass murderess Louise Peete. As a trial lawyer he was always courteous, but tough. He was given a two-year leave of absence in 1948 to serve Governor Earl Warren as the Research Counsel for the Criminal & Procedural Commission. Upon his return to the Public Defender s Officer, he was appointed the fifth Public Defender of Los Angeles County. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1963. As Public Defender he demonstrated exceptional leadership and set the tone of the office for ethical and zealous defense. In reference to the office he held, Mr. Cuff said, Justice to each individual, regardless of financial conditions, race, creed or color, is the concern of all the public, and it is the duty of the State, rather than private individuals or agencies, to safeguard the rights of an accused person. Charles R. English (1928-1999) Charles English graduated from UCLA Law School in 1966 and joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office, where he remained until 1977. In 1998, he was named Outstanding Defense Attorney by the Los Angeles Bar Association. His clients included actors Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, James Woods, and Robert Downey Jr., rock musician Tommy Lee, and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Hernandez. In 1994, Mr. English persuaded a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge to drop vandalism and assault charges against Jack Nicholson. In Mr. Baldwin s case, Mr. English won the film star s acquittal on battery charges, even though the actor admitted to pushing and kicking a photographer attempting to videotape Baldwin, his wife Kim Bassinger, and their newborn baby. He was also proud of keeping many cases out of court, and the newspapers, altogether. Fellow defense attorney Leslie Abramson once said about him: He was utterly dedicated to his clients, and nobody could make a deal like he could; Charlie could charm the bark off a tree and the bigger and meaner the tree, the faster the chips flew. Jerry Giesler (1886-1962) Born in Iowa, Harold Lee Jerry Giesler arrived in Los Angeles in 1907 and entered law school at USC the next year. He dropped out of law school to finish his studies in the office of renowned attorney Earl Rogers. In 1910 he was admitted to the bar. Mr. Giesler cut his teeth by assisting Rogers in the defense of the nation s most well known criminal defense attorney, Clarence Darrow. He became famous as a result of his defense of theater mogul Alexander Pantages. Errol Flynn relied on him to win acquittal on charges of statutory rape. His other famous clients included actor Robert Mitchum, and director Busby Berkeley. After the first two trials for murder ended in hung juries, Berkeley was acquitted in a third. He also won acquittal for Lili St. Cyr, Charlie Chaplin, gangster Bugsy Siegel, producer Walter Wanger accused of shooting an agent who was paying too much attention

to Wanger's wife, actress Joan Bennett and Los Angeles County District Attorney Buron Fitts. For more than half a century, Jerry Giesler was a household name across the country. He was the first President of the Criminal Courts Bar Association in Los Angeles. Richard B. Goethals (1924-2000) Richard B. Goethals was born in Riverside, California. He graduated from the College of the Pacific in 1944, receiving his diploma and his commission as a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps at the same time. He served during World War II. He completed his education at the USC School of Law. He joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office as a trial attorney, learning trial work as the eighth lawyer in the office. After nine years, he joined the firm of Schell & Delamer and began a civil law practice. He left after twenty-five years, having reached the position of managing partner, to start his own firm in Pasadena. He continued to practice for most of the remainder of his life doing arbitration and mediation work in his latter years. Mr. Goethals was a true believe in the American justice system, and he was proud to be a lawyer. He trained many young lawyers to advocate vigorously in court, yet respect the other participants in the judicial system and treat them with dignity inside and outside of the courtroom. Jack W. Hardy (1904-1955) Born in Chicago on April 27, 1904, Jack W. Hardy received his BA and JD from Stanford. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1929. He served as Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy during World War II. Mr. Hardy s memorable trials included the successful defense of a woman who admittedly struck her abusive husband in the head twenty-three times with a meat cleaver. The incident began when the husband arrived at home with another woman and his wife chased them away with a wrench. When the husband returned and began beating his wife, the couple s handyman shot him twice before the gun jammed. The wife finished him off with the cleaver. Gladys Towles Root successfully defended the handyman. He defended Barbara Graham in her murder trial pro bono. He dedicated many months to preparing her defense and the trial of her case. As a result, he could not represent clients who sought to retain him. His financial ruin for accepting an appointment to represent an indigent induced the California Legislature to enact laws that provide compensation for court appointed lawyers. Mr. Hardy served as trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association from 1933 to 1934. Mark J. Horton (1924-1975) Born in California, Mark J. Horton received his undergraduate and law school education at USC. He worked as a production time keeper in an aluminum factory while attending school. He served in the United States Army during World War II as a Sergeant-Major. Admitted to the California State Bar in 1953, he joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office in 1956. His quick study and his extraordinary grasp of the justice system

made him a superb trainer. Several generations of attorneys owe their informed entry into the fray to Mr. Horton s tutelage. His extensive knowledge of the working of the courts provided the base for Mr. Horton to institute coordinated procedures for full attorney coverage of the courts. He was Chief Public Defender, Central Municipal Court Trials, when he died at the early age of fifty-one. Clarence S. Hunt (1904-1992) Born on July 24, 1904, Clarence Hunt graduated from USC s law school in 1927. He started his career as a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. Within six months he handled felony jury trials on his own. After his close friend Joseph Ball left his position as Deputy District Attorney to enter private practice, Mr. Hunt and Mr. Ball frequently found themselves opposite each other on the same case. In 1943, Mr. Hunt left the District Attorney s Office and entered the United States Navy where he became an intelligence officer. At the end of World War II, he joined Joseph Ball in private practice. Like Mr. Ball, he was known for his tremendous skill and civility. He served as Vice-President and as a member of the Board of Governors for the State Bar of California. Gerald D. Lenoir, Sr. (1922-1992) Gerald D. Lenoir, Sr. was born in De Ridder, Louisiana on August 26, 1922 to Ivy Darensbourg Lenoir and Reverend York Alonza Lenoir. Mr. Lenoir grew up in New Orleans. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University in Louisiana. He received his law degree from the Lincoln University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, having graduated with honors. Mr. Lenoir was admitted to the California State Bar in 1949. He served for seven and one-half years as a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office, and then entered private practice as a criminal defense attorney. Mr. Lenoir was one of the first African American Deputy District Attorneys in Los Angeles. He was a member of the Langston Law Club, The National Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He was the recipient of many honors and awards. Mr. Lenoir was a mentor to many other prominent attorneys in the Los Angeles area, including Johnnie Cochran and former Mayor Tom Bradley. In 1990, Mr. Lenoir retired from his highly successful law career and moved back to his native New Orleans. Noel B. Martin (1888-1968) Noel B. Martin ran away from home in South Dakota at age fourteen and worked as a printer s devil. He served in the United States Navy during World War I, and became a small-town newspaperman in Illinois before studying law on his own, with no formal legal education. He practiced law in Illinois, Oregon, and Idaho before coming to California. Mr. Martin abhorred the use of alcohol, never-the-less he argued the case to repeal Prohibition before the United States Supreme Court. In Idaho he turned down a post on the Idaho Supreme Court and moved to Los Angeles. He became a member of his fourth state bar, in California, in 1934 and entered private

practice. In 1941 he joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office. He is remembered as a highly respected attorney by the bench and bar. He had the skill to persuade the toughest judges to consider alternatives to a state prison sentence for many of his clients. Mr. Martin was a senior trial deputy until he left public service reluctantly at the age of seventy due to mandatory retirement in 1958. Al Matthews (1907-1986) Born in Dubuque Iowa, and a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law, Al Mathews received his law degree in 1940 and was admitted into practice the same year. He began his law career as a Deputy Public Defender in Los Angeles. He later entered private practice as a criminal defense attorney. Mr. Matthews clients included Fred Stroble, and L. Ewing Scott. Mr. Mathews was appointed by the Los Angeles County Supreme Court to represent Barbara Graham in her automatic appeal. He also represented Linda Kasabian of the Manson family. No stranger to controversy, Mr. Mathews constant fight for the abolition of capital punishment prompted him to lend his name in 1968 to a group seeking clemency for Sirhan Sirhan. Kathryn J. McDonald (1913-1999) Kathryn J. McDonald was born in Los Angeles. She graduated from Southwestern University School of Law in 1938 while working as a Los Angeles County Municipal Court clerk. She joined the Los Angeles City Public Defender s Office in 1942. She became a member of the Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender s Office when the two agencies were combined. Ms. McDonald commented that: [m]y first assignment was Lincoln Heights Court.... I would have to go into the jail and the drunk tank and talk to my people. None of them men or women has ever been hesitant in talking to me. I ve never found being a woman any disadvantage in this office. Ms. McDonald added, This job gives you the chance to look for the good in everyone instead of the bad. You can t pick and choose your cases, but take them as they come. I prefer, however, those that have some human interest rather than statistical cases such as embezzlement. She became a leading authority on Juvenile Court Procedure and the rights of juveniles. She was a highly respected trial lawyer. She served as co-counsel for Gergory Powell in the famous Onion Field case. She also served as President of the Women Lawyer s Club of Los Angeles. When she retired she was the Head Deputy Public Defender of the Juvenile Courts Division. Hayes F. Mead (1911-1978) Born in Ohio, Hayes F. Mead grew up in California attending Franklin High School. He received his Associate Arts degree at Citrus Junior College in 1932 and his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 1938. Mr. Mead was admitted to the California State Bar in January 1942. He was a Los Angeles Municipal Court clerk from 1934 to 1946. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the United Sates Army during World War II. In

1946, he joined the Los Angeles City Public Defender s Office as a trial lawyer. He transferred to the County Public Defender s Office in 1958. He worked his way through the ranks becoming the Head Deputy of the Long Beach office from 1965 until his retirement in 1971. William B. Neeley (1899-1987) William B. Neeley was born in Colorado. He received his law degree at the University of Colorado. He served his country during World War I. In 1924 he was admitted to the Colorado State Bar and worked as a deputy district attorney before moving to California and being admitted to practice here in 1927. In late 1928 he joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office as a trial lawyer. He represented hundreds of clients, from the notorious to the unremembered. He became the fourth Public Defender to serve Los Angeles County in 1946. He served in that capacity until his appointment to the Los Angeles Superior Court bench by Governor Earl Warren in 1949. His twenty years on the Court was served in the criminal and psychiatric departments and as presiding judge of the Juvenile Court. With special interest and expertise in mental health, he was a frequent lecturer at the USC Medical School on forensic medicine. He also served on the Los Angeles County Music Commission and numerous Glendale music associations. James P. Nunnelley (1912-1989) James P. Nunnelley was born in Alabama. He earned his law degree at Southwestern University School of Law in 1939. He was admitted to the California State Bar the following year. He went to work for the Los Angeles County Counsel in 1944. He transferred to the Public Defender s Office two years later. He rose through the ranks, and retired in 1971 as Chief of Superior Court Central Trials. He served as President of the Lawyer s Club, State Public Defender and Legal Aid Association, and the Los Angeles County Employees Association. He reputedly tried over 4000 cases during his career, and his laid-back, friendly, southern-accented arguments convinced many jurors and judges of his client s innocence. Earl Rogers (1869-1922) Earl Rogers served as defense counsel in seventy-seven murder trials. He lost only three. His most sensational cases include the defense of Los Angeles Police Chief Charles Sebastian, who later became mayor, on charges of illegal sexual relations with a minor and of Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, who donated the land known as Griffith Park, for the attempted murder of his wife. He also defended heavyweight boxing champion Jess Willard on charges of second degree murder and United Railroad chief Patrick Calhoun on charges of corruption and bribery of public officials. Mr. Rogers is well remembered for a Catalina Island murder case. Three men went into a room to play poker. After the sound of gun shots, two men exited the room, leaving behind the dead body of the third. Each survivor accused the other of firing the fatal shots. There were no fingerprints on the gun. Mr. Rogers won the

acquittal of both men in successive trials. Mr. Rogers astonished medical experts with his probing crossexamination questions. His expertise was so complete he became a professor of medical jurisprudence and insanity in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, as well as a professor at USC law school. In 1906, he switched sides and used his medical expertise to send Morrison Buck to the gallows for the murder of a wealthy socialite. In a trial called by the media as The Case of the Grinning Skull, Mr. Rogers introduced the skull of a victim to prove that what appeared to be a fracture resulting from a violent blow from a blunt instrument was, in fact, the result of carelessness by the autopsy surgeon. His client walked free. Earl Rogers died February 23, 1922. Ten years later, impressed with accounts of Mr. Rogers superb defense strategy, attorney and author Erle Stanley Gardner reincarnated Rogers as the character Perry Mason. Gladys Towles Root (1905-1982) Gladys Towles Root earned her law degree from USC. She was admitted to practice law in California in 1929. At a time when female lawyers numbered in the single digits, she was extraordinarily successful. She averaged seventy-five courtroom appearances a month throughout her fifty-two-year career and she maintained this rate throughout two pregnancies. She earned a reputation for defending poor clients for little or no pay. She also was recognized as one of the best cross-examiners in this state. Her clients benefitted from her enormous confidence and spirited defense. She accepted morals cases as a matter of principle when other attorneys refused. Her biography is entitled Defender of the Damned. She served as President of the Los Angeles Women Lawyers Association. After collapsing in the courtroom, Gladys Towles Root passed away in 1982. Joseph M. Rosen (1919-1969) A native of Michigan and graduate of Michigan Law School, Joseph Rosen won the Jerry Giesler award in 1967 for his work as an exceptional criminal defense attorney. The Joseph Rosen Justice Award was later created in his honor to reward and acknowledge leading members of the criminal defense bar. Frank Rothman (1927-2000) Frank Rothman graduated from USC Law School in 1951. After graduating, he served as a law clerk for the Appellate Department of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He served as a Deputy City Attorney in the Los Angeles City Attorney s Office. His skill as a trial lawyer led the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office to send new prosecutors to observe his courtroom mastery. He went on to become one of the nation s most respected and well-known trial attorneys. He brought honor and distinction to the legal profession. Deeply admired by colleagues and friends, he also was held in the highest esteem by judges and business executives across the country. He demonstrated extraordinary skill and exemplary standards in his practice of law. The National Law Journal called Mr. Rothman a legendary litigator and featured him on its list of the country s 100 most influential lawyers. He was considered to be a preeminent white collar criminal defense lawyer. His clients included Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, as well as the NFL, NBA, NHL and PGA. He

was Chairman and CEO of MGM studios from 1982 to 1986, and named Entertainment Executive of the Year in 1983. In later years, he was an antitrust specialist. His trials included the defense of the NFL in a 1986 antitrust case filed by the now-defunct United States Football League, in which a jury found the NFL guilty of violating one count of antitrust law but awarded only one dollar in damages. He also handled a case that invalidated an NBA rule preventing players from entering the league before their college class graduated. Joseph Scott (1868-1958) Joseph Scott was born in Penrith, England. He came to Los Angeles in 1893. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1894. He was counsel in many famous cases. He and Clarence Darrow represented the defendants who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times Building. Mr. Scott is also remembered for his civic leadership and his willingness to assist in any worthy cause. He was a prominent layman in the Catholic Church. He helped to establish the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, and organized countless charity drives. He served as President of the Board of Education for the City of Los Angeles for five years. He was also President of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce from 1910 to 1911. Max Solomon (1910-1993) Famous for defending alleged gangsters like Mickey Cohen, Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, bookies, madams, and gamblers, Max Solomon once commented: Somebody s got to represent them... it might as well be me. He went into law during the depression and chose criminal defense over civil cases because they paid faster. Benny [Siegel] was a nice guy in public," he said. "But he was a vicious gangster and shouldn't be glorified. Commenting on his representation of organized crime figures, he also stated you get them acquitted, but you don t shake their hand. He was admired by judges and prosecutors for his congeniality and delightful sense of humor. Max M. Spencer (1909-1991) Maxwell M. Spencer was born in Canada but grew up in Los Angeles. He graduated from Roosevelt High School. He served as a Los Angeles Superior Court clerk starting in 1930. Mr. Spencer received his law degree from Southwestern Law School after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. As a Deputy Public Defender, Max Spencer worked the Lincoln Heights courts. For years he was the only Deputy City Public Defender in the Municipal and Superior Courts of the San Fernando Valley. He handled all the preliminary hearings, misdemeanor cases, and the drunk court in the Van Nuys Municipal Court. In 1959 he moved to the County Public Defender s Office. He retired as senior trial deputy in 1969 and entered private practice. Spencer was one of a group of lawyers who founded the San Fernando Valley Criminal Courts Bar. After his passing, his colleagues eulogized him by writing: An outstanding trial lawyer and student of the law, his dry humor, courage, integrity and interest in his

fellow man was an inspiration to all with whom he came in contact. John A. Tolmasov (1909-1996) John A. Tolmasov was a native son. He obtained his law degree from Blackstone College of the Law. Tolmasov became a member of the California State Bar in 1944. He joined the Los Angeles County Public Defender s Office in 1949 as a trial attorney representing clients facing the severest of felony charges. He served as Head Deputy Public Defender of the Pomona Branch Court from 1965 until his retirement in 1974. During that time he was credited with the efficient and effective management of an office that was chronically short of staff due to its remote location, yet faced prosecutors and a bench that prided itself on its tough criminal justice stance. Frederick H. Vercoe (1876-1960) Frederick H. Vercoe was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received his undergraduate degree at lake Forest University. He received his LL.B and LL.M. degrees at the University of Chicago Law School. He was admitted to the Illinois State Bar. In 1914, he was admitted to the California State Bar and joined the new Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office within months of its opening. He served as defense counsel in many publicized cases. He was co-counsel in the attempted kidnapping case of actress Mary Pickford. He was appointed as the third Public Defender of Los Angeles County in 1927. He served as the head of the office until he retired in 1946. As Public Defender, Mr. Vercoe told the County Board of Supervisors, The Presumption of Innocence, the strongest presumption known to the law, and the Doctrine of Reasonable Doubt, are but as tinkling brass and empty phrases unless a strong advocate of the law, in the form of a Public Defender, takes up the challenge with the authority of the law, with resources, with years of training and with years of experience behind him. Vercoe also served on the Monterey Park City Counsel from 1917 to 1926, and was mayor from 1922 until 1926. Stephen M. White (1853-1901) Born in San Francisco, Stephen M. White studied law at Santa Clara College. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1874. He moved to Los Angeles to practice law. He served as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County from 1882 to 1884. Mr. White was a charter member of the first Los Angeles County Bar Association. He was also a member of the State Senate from 1887 to 1891, where he served as President pro tempore. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of California in 1888 and later represented California for one term in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1899. He endeared himself to the people of Los Angeles for winning a seven-year struggle to secure a deep-water harbor at San Pedro forerunner to today s Port of Los Angeles. When he died in 1901, he was acclaimed in San Francisco and Los Angeles as the state s as perhaps the most eminent of the State s native sons.

A. L. Wirin (1900-1978) A graduate of Harvard University, A.L. Wirin was first admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Oregon, before gaining admission to the California State Bar in 1932. He served as Chief Counsel for the Southern California Chapter of the ACLU. He fought against the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. Later he persuaded Dean Acheson to join him in litigation involving the right of Japanese citizens to own property and secure fishing licenses in California. A tremendous advocate for free speech, he challenged the conduct of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He was successful in ending laws that required the administering of loyalty oaths. He helped establish the exclusionary rule in California in People v. Cahan. In White v. Davis, Mr. Wirin was on the winning side when the California Supreme Court found the presence of secret police in university classrooms violated the state and federal constitution. In 1934, he represented Mexican American agricultural workers trying to organize labor unions. He was physically beaten during his representation of the workers. In 1945, several years before Brown v. Board of Education, Mr. Wirin brought a challenge to the separate but equal rule in Orange County. He also fought to establish the right of an accused to the advise of counsel during police questioning. Walton J. Wood (1878-1945) Walton J. Wood was born in Oroville, California. He attended Stanford, Vanderbilt, and received his law degree form the University of California, Berkeley. He was admitted to practice in California in 1907, after working in the Philippines as an attorney. Justice Wood was the first Public Defender in Los Angeles County. He was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 1914 and served until 1921. Within two months of his appointment, the Public Defender s Office was handling forty-five felony cases, along with lesser cases averaging at over one hundred per week. Prior to his appointment, he also served as a Deputy City Attorney, and worked in private practice. Justice Wood was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1921. He was elevated to serve as an Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, Second District, in 1935.

Prosecutors 1850 2000 Adolph Alexander (1906-1993) Adolph Alexander was born in New York City. He practiced there from 1928 to 1934. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School. He practiced law privately until October 1942 when he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney s office. He rose to become Chief Deputy and for a time was Acting District Attorney. Judge Alexander participated in some of the most publicized murder trials in the county s history. Along with J. Miller Leavy, he successfully prosecuted Barbara Graham. In 1957, he returned to private practice. He was elected to the Beverly Hills Municipal Court two years later. Governor Edmund G. Pat Brown elevated him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1961. Joseph P. Busch (1926-1975) Joseph P. Busch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas where he was an outstanding football player. He received his law degree from the Loyola School of Law. He became a career Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney in 1951. His most well known trial was the prosecution of Mickey Cohen and associates for the murder of Jack (The Enforcer) Whelan. He also prosecuted four defendant s for libeling United States Senator Thomas Kuckel. He was successful in obtaining convictions against five defendants who killed police officers, including Gregory Powell and Jimmy Smith, the so-called Onion Field Killers. After twenty years of service as a prosecutor, he was appointed District Attorney of Los Angeles. Joseph L. Carr (1905-1982) Joseph L. Carr was born on May 29, 1905 in Newark, New Jersey. He served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II as a First Lieutenant. He was in private practice for seven years before entering the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office in 1927. He was a career Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. He was considered to be an outstanding mentor of young prosecutors because of his superb mastery of courtroom strategy. His most publicized prosecution was the trial of Clyde Bates and Manuel Chavez for killing six bar patrons in the fire bombing of the Club Mecca in Los Angeles. Mr. Carr was Chief Deputy of the Pasadena Branch of the District Attorney s Office when he retired in 1962. John F. Dockweiler (1895-1943)

Before winning the race for Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1940 against incumbent Buron Fitts, John Dockweiler served three terms in the United States Congress from 1933 to 1939. One of his first responsibilities was to prepare for the prosecution of Bugsy Siegel for a gangland murder in Hollywood. The case, which finally went to trial in January 1942, was dismissed by the judge after the prosecution's star witness fell to his death from a New York hotel room window. Mr. Dockweiler instituted reforms in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, including a ban on office investigators working as security guards at the Santa Anita racetrack. He created the Bureau of Crime Research and Prevention and reorganized the Bureau of Investigation, bringing it under civil-service regulation. This ended the disruptive practice of treating investigators' jobs as a matter of political patronage. Mr. Dockweiler was investigating allegations of police brutality in Los Angeles when he died suddenly of pneumonia in 1943. Thomas P. Finnerty (DOA - DOD Unknown) Thomas P. Finnerty was a career prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. He was a man of impeccable integrity. He had exceptional skill in presenting the prosecution s evidence. During his trials, the courtroom was filed with young prosecutors eager to learn and imitate his trial techniques and courtroom demeanor. David N. Fitts (1922-1986) David N. Fitts was born in Los Angeles. He attended law school at Stanford University. Judge Fitts served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney from 1954 to 1969. He was one of the deputy district attorneys who successfully prosecuted Robert F. Kennedy s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan. News accounts of the lengthy trial in 1969 dwell on Mr. Fitts' ability to sift instantaneously through mountains of testimony on both sides as he summed up his case for the jury. Shortly after that trial, Judge Fitts was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench by Governor Ronald Reagan. Clara Shortridge Foltz (1849-1934) Clara Shortridge Foltz was born in Indiana in 1849. She eloped with a Union soldier. She worked with him on their farm in Iowa. They had five children. After her husband abandoned her, she lectured to supplement her income while studying law in a lawyer s office. Her speeches on the women s suffrage movement filled lecture halls. She successfully passed an oral bar examination administered by a team of lawyers. Because she was a woman, however, under existing law, she could not be admitted to the California State Bar. To eliminate this discrimination, she drafted proposed legislation, and successfully induced the California Legislature to permit women and minorities to practice law in California. The Governor signed the measure into law in 1878. Mrs. Foltz became the first female attorney in the state of California later the same year. Although she was now able to practice law, she decided to go to law school to further her legal knowledge. She was denied admission to the University of

California s Hastings School of Law, however, because she was a woman. She filed an action in the San Francisco Superior Court for a declaration that Hastings had violated her right to equal protection. She acted as her own attorney and prevailed. The State of California appealed. Mrs. Foltz represented herself before the California Supreme Court. The Court ordered Hastings to admit her. In 1880, she was appointed counsel to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. She had a very successful career in private practice. Her observation of the poor quality of representation by court appointed lawyers inspired her to lead the campaign to create Public Defender s Offices throughout the United States. She presented that idea at the 1893 World s Fair in Chicago. The adoption of her concept is considered one of her greatest accomplishments. At age 61, Mrs. Foltz became the first female Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County. Mrs. Foltz is also given substantial credit for the creation of the parole system. She spearheaded legislation requiring that juveniles be separated from adults in jails and prisons. She also succeeded in convincing San Francisco to abolish the practice of holding criminal defendants in iron cages during trials. Four years before her death, she ran for Governor of California at the age of eighty-one. W. Joseph Ford (1877 - DOD Unknown) Born in Oakland, and a graduate of UC Berkeley. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1899. He served as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney from 1907 to 1909. Thereafter, he served as Chief Deputy District Attorney until 1914. His most famous trial was the prosecution of the McNamara brothers who bombed the Los Angeles Times Building. Mr. Ford was also the prosecutor in the Clarence Darrow bribery trial. Mr. Ford became the first Dean of the Loyola School of Law and assembled its first faculty. While Dean of Loyola Law School from 1923 to 1929, Mr. Ford maintained an active law practice. In 1931, he was hired as a special prosecutor to handle the murder trial of former District Attorney David Debonair Dave Clark. A contemporary described Ford s courtroom style in these words: If there was a better man at breaking all hell loose in a courtroom than Joe Ford, I never saw him... he was tough, a rugged little Irishman, with graying curls, a jaw like an English bulldog and that same bulldog s ability to hang on and never let go. John D. Fredericks (1869-1945) Born in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania in 1869, John D. Fredericks came to California in 1891. He was admitted to the California Bar Association in 1895. He served in the Spanish-American War as an infantryman. Mr. Fredericks became a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney in 1899. He served three four-year terms as District Attorney. He was co-prosecutor of John and James McNamara who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times Building. The trial ended when each defendant plead guilty. While serving as District Attorney, he established the Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Fredericks ran for governor unsuccessfully in 1914. He was elected to the United States Congress in 1923 and served until 1927 when he returned to Los Angeles to practice law.

William E. James (1914 - DOD Unknown) Mr. James was born on September 13, 1914. He received a AB from the University of California, and his LL.B. from the University of Southern California. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1941. Mr. James served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II as a First Lieutenant. After his military service was completed, he joined the California Attorney General s Office. He was promoted to be the head of its criminal division in Los Angeles, California. In that capacity, he represented the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office in appeals filed by defendants convicted of felony offenses. Mr. James trained many newly admitted lawyers in the Attorney General s Office who have become outstanding jurists including Chief Justice Ronald M. George of the California Supreme Court and Norman L. Epstein, Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Division Four of the Second Appellate District. During his tenure, Mr. James successfully represented the People of the State of California in many matters before the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court including the L. Ewing Scott no-dead-body-first degree murder case. He is remembered as a consummate gentleman with an extraordinary mastery of criminal and constitutional law. George W. Kemp (DOA - DOD Unknown) George Kemp was the Chief Assistant District Attorney when S. Ernest Roll was the Los Angeles County District Attorney. He was a mentor-father figure to young lawyers who entered his office. He stressed that it was a prosecutor s duty to make sure that the defendant should receive a fair trial and that no one should be convicted because of prosecutorial or police misconduct. One day, a young prosecutor encountered Mr. Kemp in the elevator. It was the prosecutor s first day in the office. Mr. Kemp asked the Deputy District Attorney: What did you accomplish today. The prosecutor responded: I m excited. I put on 6 preliminary hearings, and each one was held to answer. Mr. Kemp replied: Yes, Arthur, but should they have been held for trial. Will we be able to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before a jury? Edward J.C. Kewen (1825-1879) Originally from Mississippi, Colonel Edward J.C. Kewen was one of three attorneys admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court in its first session on March 7, 1850. Described as a fire-eating, name-calling orator, violent in speech and temper, he fought in the Mexican War. Mr. Kewen was California s first Attorney General. He also served as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles schools in 1858, as Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1859 to 1861, and later as a representative in the California State Assembly. He then joined Colonel Jim Howard in private practice. Together they enjoyed lucrative careers as criminal defense attorneys. In fact, they were so effective, a local vigilance committee passed a resolution to hang Mr. Kewen along with his partner.

When Mr. Howard met the mob he said: We are old friends; be generous, let s compromise. Hang Kewen, he s the head of the firm. Mr. Kewen survived to live out his days in a gracious home in San Marino. J. Miller Leavy (1906-1995) J. Miller Leavy joined the office in 1932. He sent more than a dozen people to the gas chamber including Barbara Graham. He later explained that he was not bothered by Graham s execution due to the callous brutality of the murder. Mr. Leavy also prosecuted Caryl the Red Light Bandit Chessman and countless other notorious criminals. He prosecuted L. Ewing Scott for the murder of Scott s wealthy older wife. Former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Arthur L. Alarcón served as second chair. Although the body was never found, Scott was convicted in the first no body murder case in California. One of Mr. Leavy s contemporaries remarked He was so good in front of a jury that they wanted to give the death penalty before the trial even started. Many lawyers who witnessed his work considered him to be the best trial lawyer in California. Charles Matthews (1906 - DOD Unkown) Charles Matthews was admitted to the California State Bar in 1930. He was a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office from 1931 to 1941. He was one of the first African Americans to serve in that office. He prosecuted many highly publicized cases. When Justice Charles W. Fricke, who was the dean of the criminal court trial judges was asked: Who was the best trial lawyer you ever saw in your courtroom, he instantly replied: Charles Matthews. S. Ernest Roll (1904-1956) A native of Long Beach and graduate of USC Law School, S. Ernest Roll joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney s office in 1931. He returned to that office after serving in the Navy during World War II. A 1950 report by Governor Earl Warren's Special Commission on Organized Crime criticized the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Sheriff, and Police Department for their failure to cooperate with one another. As Los Angeles County District Attorney, Mr. Roll responded by initiating reforms, including the creation of what eventually became the Bureau of Investigation's twenty-four-hour-command post. In 1951, he oversaw the swearing in of sixty District Attorney investigators who were given peace officer status under a new law. When Los Angeles County District Attorney William Simpson died in 1950, prospective successors inundated the Board of Supervisor with so many calls that some members had to disconnect their home telephones. Their choice was Chief Deputy District Attorney Ernest Roll. Subsequently, Mr. Roll was elected as Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1952. In his campaign he recommended that "vicious young hoodlums" be treated as adults. During his tenure, seven new

District Attorney offices were opened. Mr. Roll was reelected in the June 1956 primary, having run unopposed, but was diagnosed with lung cancer and died eleven days before the November general election. Ted C. Sten (1909 - DOD Unknown) Ted C. Sten was born in Los Angeles, California on April 18, 1909. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1934. He was a career prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. He rose in the office to the position of Head Deputy of the Long Beach Branch of the District Attorney s Office. During his tenure, his Long Beach prosecutors had the highest conviction rate in Los Angeles County. He was a master at teaching courtroon skills to young lawyers. One of his protegees, Lynn Buck Compton, became Chief District Attorney and later served as an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal. Jere J. Sullivan (DOB - DOD Unkown) Jere J. Sullivan received his law degree from the Silver Bow Law School in Montana. He was admitted to the Montana State Bar in 1922 and to the California State Bar in 1927. He became a career prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office when he moved to California. He was selected to be the head of the Appellate Division of that office after he prosecuted many felony cases. In that capacity, he appeared before the California appellate courts, and the United States Supreme Court. Cameron E. Thom (1826-1915) Originally from Virginia, Mr. Thom came to California in 1849. While working in the gold fields, he spent his nights reading law. An important figure in the early history of Los Angeles, Cameron Thom served three terms as Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1854 to 1857, 1869 to 1873, and again from 1877 to 1879. After his first term Mr. Thom was elected State Senator. During the Civil War, Mr. Thom fought for the Confederacy, attaining the rank of Captain. Mr. Thom returned to Los Angeles after the end of the Civil War. In 1882, he became the Mayor of Los Angeles. He helped found the city of Glendale. At the onset of the riot known as the Chinese Massacre Mr. Thom led a group to quell a mob bent on sacking Los Angeles nascent China town. The riot started in response to a gun battle between rival Chinese gangs. Mr. Thom and the Sheriff were finally able to take control after substantial loss of life. He then prosecuted the vigilantes responsible for the killing.

Fred N. Whichello (1903-1977) Fred N. Whichello was born in Loughborough, England. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1993. He served as a career prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. He was considered to be one of the most brilliant cross-examiners in the history of that office. In addition to his superb skill as a trial lawyer, he represented his office in many landmark cases before the California and the United States Supreme Court including Alberts v. California, Roth v. United States, and Crooker v. California. Thomas L. Woolwine (1874-1925) A native of Tennessee, Mr. Woolwine came to California in 1896 and served as a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney in 1907 to 1908. He then joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney s Office. He successfully prosecuted the infamous murderess, Louise Peete, in 1920. Mr. Woolwine was best known for his campaign against public corruption and vice. On his own, Mr. Woolwine started a law-enforcement campaign, uncovering a trail of graft and corruption that led straight the mayor s desk as well as to many well known businessmen in the city. His work contributed to the downfall of two mayors. His celebrated cases include the successful prosecution of Louis Bundy for killing a fifteen-year-old delivery boy in 1913, and serial killer Thomas Bluebeard Watson in 1920. He also led the investigation of a particularly violent nest of Ku Klux Klansmen in Los Angeles. Evelle J. Younger (1919-1989) A native of Nebraska, Evelle J. Younger was an FBI Special Agent after law school and served with Army Intelligence in India during World War II. Following the war, he was a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney and the first City Prosecutor for the City of Pasadena. He also served in the Korean conflict and attained the rank of major general in the Air Force Reserve. In 1953, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court. In 1958, he was elected to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was appointed District Attorney of Los Angeles County in 1964. During his terms as District Attorney, he opened branches of the office in Norwalk and Van Nuys and reorganized the office bureaus. In 1967, he created the Special Investigations Division. Headline-grabbing cases prosecuted during his tenure include the case of Sirhan Sirhan, the Manson Family murders, and the cases stemming from the Watts Riots. He is also known for mass prosecution of campus demonstrators during late sixties. In 1970, he was elected to the office of Attorney General. After his retirement from politics, Judge Younger became a partner in a Los Angeles law firm and maintained a large, active circle of friends and an interest in public affairs.

Judges 2001- M. Ross Bigelow (1925-2002) The son of a ranch foreman and a teacher, Judge Bigelow was born in Hemet, California in 1924. He grew up in Long Beach. After serving in the United States Navy in the Pacific during World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree at USC in 1945 and his law degree at USC in 1950. After returning to active service during the Korean War, he went into private practice in Long Beach. He was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1969. He was elevated to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1973. His best known cases include the trial of two Symbionese Liberation Army members, Russell Little and Joseph Remiro, who were involved in a 1974 police shootout while being arrested for the murder of an Oakland school superintendent. The case was moved to Los Angeles from Concord due to an inordinate amount of publicity surrounding the case. After retiring from the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1988, Judge Bigelow moved to San Bernardino where he continued to sit as an assigned judge for the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Known as a fair and scholarly jurist, Judge Bigelow was an expert in the law of evidence. He lectured frequently for his colleagues at the National Trial Judges College and the California Trial Judges College. He also wrote books that were distributed to each judge in the state, including "Evidence Objections Handbook," "Constitutional Rights in Criminal Cases" and "Felony Trials and Procedures, Orientation Notebook." His daughter, Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow, is a member of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Mildred L. Lillie (1915-2002) Mildred L. Lillie was born in Ida Grove, Iowa on January 25, 1915. She was admitted to the California bar in 1938. Justice Lillie found little resistance gaining admission and recognition at UC Berkeley s prestigious Boalt Hall Law School. But that changed when Justice Lillie applied for her first job as a lawyer after graduation. In rejecting her application for employment as a prosecutor, Earl Warren, then District Attorney of the County of Alameda, stated he had hired a woman once before and it didn t work out. She started her legal career in the Alameda City Attorney s Office. Later, after working in private practice for a Fresno law office, Justice Lillie joined the United States Attorney s Office. Earl Warren, then as the Governor of California, appointed her to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1947. Two years later, Governor Warren elevated her to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Not long after that, Justice Lillie reminded Governor Earl Warren that he rejected her for a job as a Deputy District Attorney. In 1958, she was elevated to the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District. She was the first woman to serve on that court. She became Presiding Justice of Division One of the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in 1984. Revered by her bench colleagues for her keen mind, personal warmth and wit, she was also respected by attorneys for her no-nonsense approach to hearing legal arguments and crafting opinions. She was also a fabulous chef who worked her way through law school as a cook,

after abandoning her dream to become an artist. Described as California s preeminent jurist during her lifetime, she authored an enormous volume of learned opinions, marked by clarity, logic and unsurpassed knowledge of the law. Her step-son Judge Dewey L. Falcone, is a Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Bonnie Lee Martin (1931-2005) Bonnie Lee Martin was born in Utah. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Utah. She applied to law school despite the fact that her college counselor told her women could not be lawyers. She was one of only two women in her class at the UCLA School of Law. Later, she obtained an advanced degree at the USC School of Law. Judge Martin began her legal career in the California Attorney General s Office. She then worked for four years in private practice. She was named a Los Angeles Municipal Court commissioner in 1966. She was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1968. She was elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Edmund G. Jerry Brown in 1975. She was named Outstanding Trial Judge of the year in 1986 by the Los Angeles Bar Association, the first woman to receive that honor. In 1989, she was awarded the Justice Traynor Award for Judicial Excellence by the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association. Judge Martin served as chairman of the Los Angeles Superior Court Committee on California Jury Instructions. She was President of the Women Lawyers Club. She also served as a member of the California Judicial Council. She was an expert on search and seizure law. She authored a book on that subject. She also taught her fellow judges at the Judicial College in Berkeley. She once stated that the key to her success was a belief that the difficult is possible. Known for her sense of humor and delightful personality, her personal philosophy could be summed up as: Life is a dress rehearsal, you have to have fun as you go along. Nancy Belcher Watson (1927-2004) Born in 1927, she once said that she came from an era, when "virtually none of the women intended to do anything except get married and have a family." After graduating from Stanford in 1946, she followed that path even though she was the daughter of prominent Los Angeles attorney and California State Bar President Frank Belcher. But Judge Watson decided to change directions when she realized she needed money to put her children through college. She joined her father s firm in 1959, after graduating from the UCLA Law School. After nine years of private practice, she was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court bench in 1968. She won election to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1972, beating five other candidates. Judge Watson was well-respected for her evenhanded and knowledgeable management of difficult cases during her sixteen years on the bench. Her imperturbable handling of the well-publicized trial of Alphabet Bomber, Muharem Kurbegovic won her the praise and admiration of her peers and the public alike. She sentenced Kurbegovic to a life term. Kurbegovic, who represented himself in the proceedings, worked hard to put the courtroom in turmoil, aiming vitriolic comments at Judge Watson throughout the

trial. The Los Angeles Times said the trial showed her as tough, efficient in moving a trial or a case calendar along, well prepared, knowledgeable about the law, and very fair.

Criminal Defense Counsel 2001- Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. (1937-2005) Born in Shreveport Louisiana, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was a young child. His father was extremely bright and provided an excellent home for Mr. Cochran, but as a child he always found friends who had more money, enabling him to envision another life. As he recalled I knew kids who had things I could only dream of.... But it made me get off my butt and say, Hey, I can do this! His mother was a disciplinarian. Mr. Cochran remembered one time I talked back to my mother and the next thing I knew my parents had packed a small bag for me and were taking me to reform school. Reform school! I hadn t even said anything bad, I just answered back to her. While earning a bachelor s degree from UCLA, Mr. Cochran supported himself by selling insurance. After graduating from Loyola Law School and gaining admittance to the bar in 1963, Mr. Cochran joined the Los Angeles City Attorney s Office as a deputy in the criminal division. His early cases include a 1964 effort to prosecute comedian Lenny Bruce on obscenity charges. He entered private practice with Gerald Lenoir in 1965 and formed his own firm a short time later. He quickly gained recognition by representing the Deadwyler family in a highly publicized police brutality case. His representation of Black Panther member Geronimo Pratt also placed Mr. Cochran in the public eye. Mr. Cochran joined the District Attorney s Office in 1978. He returned to private practice in 1983. He obtained an acquittal for television star Todd Bridges on a charge of attempted murder. He also represented Michael Jackson, football hall-of-fame recipient Jim Brown, and celebrity Sean Puffy Combs. Mr. Cochran s also successfully defended O.J. Simpson on charges of murdering his estranged wife and her acquaintance in one of the most highly publicized case in recent history. Albert C. S. Ramsey (1912-2005) Albert C. S. Ramsey moved with his family from his birthplace in Moosejaw, province of Saskatchewan, Canada to Long Beach in 1923 when he was 10 years old. They drove the whole distance, camping along the way with no tent. His father worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Long Beach. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, but set out on his own at age sixteen. For seven years, while attending college, he worked as a gardener, and later as a chauffeur, in a posh residential district near the Virginia Country Club. Provided with a black cap, black gloves and a black suit, Ramsey always carried his school work and his typewriter with him in the front seat. He graduated from Long Beach Junior College and finished his undergraduate studies at UCLA. He received his law degree from the USC Law School. While studying for the bar, Mr. Ramsey supported himself and his family with a long string of wins at the race track. After starting out in private practice, Mr. Ramsey was hired as a Deputy City Prosecutor for the City of Long Beach in 1939. In 1942, he was elected Long

Beach City Prosecutor. He was re-elected twice thereafter. His notable cases as a criminal defense attorney span over fifty years. Among many others, he represented Tommy Cook, Violet the witch woman Berling, Deputy District Attorney Jack Kirschke, and Richard Keech. Richard A. Walton (1928-2001) A native of Los Angeles, Richard A. Walton played basketball at Huntington Park High School. He later became a newspaper sports reporter. Mr. Walton had a tremendous interest in politics and viewed a law degree as a stepping stone into a career in politics. With that in mind, he earned a degree from Southwestern University School of Law and was admitted into the bar in 1959. His first job out of law school was at the State Comptroller s office in Sacramento, but he quickly returned to Los Angeles. Mr. Walton was among the lawyers who represented members of the Manson family who planned a jailhouse raid to free their leader. Mr. Walton served as president of the Criminal Courts Bar Association. He was remembered by other past presidents as a man who was always treated with the highest respect by judges and when he spoke, his voice and his presence filled the courtroom. A contemporary once said A Dick Walton closing argument was a work of art. Mr. Walton is also remembered as a sucker for a sob story who frequently undercharged his clients. A longtime colleague stated that Walton never charged enough money for his services [because] [h]e felt sorry for people. The recipient of numerous honors, including the Joseph Rosen Justice Award for Career Contributions to the Criminal Justice System, his contemporaries described him as morally beyond reproach.

Prosecutors 2001 James G. Kolts (1924-2001) Born in Los Angeles, Judge Kolts attended the University of Oregon in 1942, but left to serve in the Infantry during World War II. After the war, he finished his bachelor s degree at Oregon. He later received his law degree from USC while working in the legal procurement officer in the Department of the Army to support himself. After passing the bar in 1952, he worked as a Deputy District Attorney until he was appointed to Los Angeles County Superior Court by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1969. While working for the District Attorney s Office, he was known for his successful prosecution of complicated major fraud cases. He is also remembered outside the legal community as chairman of the so-called Kolts Commission a committee charged with conducting an independent review of the Sheriff s Department. He headed up the Commission after retiring from the bench. In 1992 he issued a scathing report finding excessive use of force and mistreatment of minorities by the Sheriff s Department. James G. Kolts is remembered for his quick wit and marvelous sense of humor, which he would display in even the most trying of times. District Attorney Steve Cooley described Judge Kolts as one of those great people who will go down in the history of the Los Angeles County Justice system as substantive and positive.