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Florence-Marie Cooper
Florence-Marie Cooper was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She joined the court in 1999 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton and served until her death on January 15, 2010.[1] She passed away at a Santa Monica hospital while being treated for lymphoma.[2]
Early life and education
Cooper graduated from the City College of San Francisco with her bachelor's degree in 1971 and later graduated from the Whittier College School of Law with her juris doctorate degree in 1975.[3]
Professional career
Cooper began her legal career as a law clerk for Superior Court judge Arthur Alarcon in the appellate department of the Los Angeles Superior Court from 1975 to 1977 before becoming the Deputy city attorney for the City of Los Angeles in 1977. Cooper later became senior research attorney preparing cases for State Appeals judge Arthur Alarcon in the Second Appellate District of the California Courts of Appeal from 1978 to 1980 and also for another judge in the California Court of Appeals from 1980 to 1983. Cooper later served as the court commissioner for the Los Angeles Superior Court from 1983 to 1990. In 1990, Cooper became a municipal court judge for the Los Angeles Municipal Court until 1991 when she became a Superior Court judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court. She served there until her appointment to the federal bench in 1999. Cooper also served as a adjunct professor for the San Fernando Valley College School of Law from 1980 to 1985.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
Central District of California
On the recommendation of U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Cooper was nominated by President Bill Clinton July 14, 1999, to a seat vacated by Linda McLaughlin. Cooper was confirmed by the Senate on November 10, 1999 on a majority voice vote and received commission on November 15, 1999.[3][4] Cooper was succeeded in this position by John A. Kronstadt.
Death
Judge Cooper passed away at a Santa Monica hospital while being treated for lymphoma on January 15, 2010.[5][6]
Of her death chief justice of the Central District Audrey Collins said, "Our court is devastated by this loss. Florence personified the best qualities one could hope for in a federal judge - intelligence, analytical reasoning and endless patience combined with fairness, the unwavering ability to recognize and correct injustice to the individual, and a passion for justice."[7]
Noteworthy cases
Winnie the Pooh case
Judge Cooper ruled in a near two decade battle that the Walt Disney Company is the rightful owner of cartoon character Winnie the Pooh. On September 25, 2009, Judge Cooper dismissed a copyright lawsuit filed by the estate of Stephen Slesinger who first commercialized the character. The lawsuit was first filed in 1991 after the Slesinger family sued Disney over breach of contract over a 1983 acquisition agreed to by both parties.[8]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Los Angeles Times "Federal Judge Florence Marie Cooper dies of lymphoma in California," January 15, 2010
- ↑ Associated Press "Federal Judge Florence Cooper dies in California," January 15, 2010
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Judge Cooper's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ The Library of Congress, Nomination of Florence Marie-Cooper February 13, 2009
- ↑ Los Angeles Times "Federal Judge Florence Marie Cooper dies of lymphoma in California," January 15, 2010
- ↑ Associated Press "Federal Judge Florence Cooper dies in California," January 15, 2010
- ↑ Associated Press "Federal Judge Florence Cooper Dies In California," January 16, 2010
- ↑ "Los Angeles Times" Pooh rights belong to Disney, judge rules, September 29, 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Linda McLaughlin |
Central District of California 1999–2010 Seat #24 |
Succeeded by: John A. Kronstadt
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
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
