Kathryn Mickle Werdegar
Kathryn M. Werdegar was an associate justice on the California Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court on May 3, 1994, by Republican Governor Pete Wilson.[1] Werdegar was retained by voters in 2014 for a 12-year term that was set to expire on January 3, 2027. Werdegar retired on August 31, 2017.[2]
Education
Werdegar earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Though she began her law studies at the University of California School of Law, Werdegar ultimately earned her J.D. from George Washington University Law School, where she graduated first in her class.[1]
Career
Werdegar served in many different capacities prior to her appointment to the California courts. After graduation from law school, she worked at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. After moving back to California, she served as a senior staff attorney with the California Courts of Appeal and the California Supreme Court. She also taught and worked as an associate dean for academic and student affairs at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Werdegar was appointed to the California First District Court of Appeal in 1988 prior to her appointment to the California Supreme Court.[1]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2002: Citation Award, University of California School of Law
- 1998: Justice of the Year Award, Consumer Attorneys of California
- 1996: Appellate Justice of the Year Award, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- 1996: California Alumni Association Excellence in Achievement Award
- 1996: Distinguished Public Service Award, George Washington University Law Alumni Association
- 1962: Charles Glover Award, George Washington University School of Law[1]
Associations
- Editor-in-chief, California Law Review
- Regents' Lecturer, University of California at Berkeley
- Member, American Law Institute
- Member, National Association of Women Judges
- Member, California/Nevada Women Judges Association
- Member, California Judges Association
- Board member, California Supreme Court Historical Society
- Former board member, Boalt Hall Alumni Association[1]
Elections
2014
Werdegar was retained to the California Supreme Court with 72.6 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014. [3]
Endorsements
- The Sacramento Bee[4]
2002
| California Supreme Court, Associate Justice 2002 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
Kathryn M. Werdegar 
|
3,776,837 | 74.2% | ||
| Against retention | 1,318,662 | 25.8% | ||
- Click here for 2002 General Election Results from the California Secretary of State.
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Werdegar received a campaign finance score of -0.49, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.32 that justices received in California.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[5]
Financial disclosure
A 2013 study by the Center for Public Integrity on financial disclosure requirements for state supreme court justices found that Werdegar participated in a 2012 case involving Wells Fargo in spite of owning as much as $1 million in Wells Fargo stock. In response to this revelation, the California Supreme Court said it would review internal procedures meant to detect conflicts of interest. Court spokesperson Cathal Conneely said, "The justice [Werdegar] regrets the error."[6]
California earned a "C" in the study.[6]
See also
External links
- California Courts, "Supreme Court of California"
- California Courts, "Justices of the Supreme Court"
- NPR.org, "The Nation: California Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8," May 27, 2009
- Los Angeles Times, "Judge Seen as a Conservative -- Usually," May 6, 1994
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 California Courts, "Associate Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar Biography," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "California Supreme Court Justice Werdegar retiring," March 8, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State Voter Guide, "Justices of the Supreme Court," accessed August 26, 2014
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Endorsements: Three California Supreme Court justices deserve a thumbs up from voters," October 8, 2014
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Center for Public Integrity, "State supreme court judges reveal scant financial information," December 4, 2013
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
