Cynthia Aaron
Cynthia Aaron was a judge for Division 1 of the California 4th District Court of Appeal. She assumed office on January 10, 2003. She left office on January 12, 2023.
Aaron ran for re-election for the Division 1 judge of the California 4th District Court of Appeal. She won in the retention election on November 6, 2018.
She was appointed to this position by Governor Gray Davis.[1][2][3]
Aaron retired in January 2023.[4]
Education
Aaron graduated from Stanford University with a degree in psychology in 1979 and received her juris doctor from Harvard Law School in 1984.[1]
Career
Aaron began her career as a trial attorney for Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. She worked there from 1984 to 1988. She and a colleague later founded the law firm Aaron & Cortez. In 1994, she was appointed as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, where she served until her appointment to the California Fourth District Court of Appeal.[1][2]
Elections
2018
California 4th District Court of Appeal Division 1
Cynthia Aaron was retained to Division 1 of the California 4th District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 70.6% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
70.6
|
1,747,512 | ||
No |
29.4
|
727,657 | |||
Total Votes |
2,475,169 | ||||
|
|
Noteworthy cases
Schools may offer yoga (2015)
Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock sued the Encinitas Union School District when they learned their daughters were doing yoga at their elementary school. The Sedlocks felt that the yoga program was spiritual, or religious, in nature. Further, if they opted their children out of the yoga class, then the children missed out on physical activity through school.
San Diego Superior Court Judge John S. Meyer, the first judge to hear the case, disagreed with the Sedlocks' contention. He found that the way the school conducted the yoga class, with a series of increasingly difficult poses and breathing exercises, was secular in nature. The Sedlocks appealed Judge Meyer's decision.
Court of Appeal Associate Justice Cynthia Aaron of California's Fourth District wrote the court's opinion, which affirmed the lower court decision.
| “ | After a careful review of the extensive evidence presented in the trial court concerning the nature of the particular yoga program at issue in this case, we conclude that the program is secular in purpose, does not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion, and does not excessively entangle the school district in religion.[5] | ” |
| —Judge Cynthia Aaron[6] | ||
Justices Judith McConnell and Richard Huffman concurred with Justice Aaron in her opinion.
Articles:
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 California Court, "Cynthia Aaron biography"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Appellate Law.net, "Profile"
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Justices of the California Courts of Appeal" Scroll to page 6
- ↑ California Courts Newsroom, "Justice Cynthia Aaron to Retire from Fourth Appellate District, Division One," accessed February 22, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Times of San Diego, "Yoga’s Not Religious, OK to Teach in School, Appellate Court Rules," April 3, 2015
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California
State courts:
California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts
State resources:
Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California
