News Release Date:   December 6, 1999  Number:   78

Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird Dies; Supreme Court to Hold Memorial Session

San Francisco — Former California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, the first woman to serve on the state Supreme Court, died December 4 after a lengthy illness at the Stanford University Medical Center.  She was 63.

The 25th Chief Justice of the state’s highest court, Chief Justice Bird was appointed to office in 1977 by former Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. and left office in January 1987.  As Chief Justice, she was chair of the Judicial Council of California, the constitutional body responsible for improving state court administration.

Upon learning of her death, Chief Justice Ronald M. George made the following statement that highlights her achievements while in office:

“Chief Justice Bird was a trailblazer as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, that now has three women among its seven members.  She made many contributions to the administration of the California court system and the Supreme Court in particular.  Among other things, Chief Justice Bird appointed the committee to implement Proposition 32, which changed the court’s procedures for granting cases for review, and oversaw the implementation of its recommendations.

“The first computers were instituted at the court during Chief Justice Bird’s tenure.  She also established the Committee on Gender Bias in the Courts just before leaving office in 1987.  That committee was expanded by her successor, Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas, and provided a report and recommendations that continue to be implemented statewide today.  She also was an early supporter of state funding for the trial courts, since implemented throughout California. As a jurist, she was a strong and eloquent advocate for her views.  Our thoughts are with her family and friends.”

When Chief Justice Bird appointed the Committee on Gender Bias in the Courts in 1987, she laid the foundation for future studies during the tenures of both Chief Justices Lucas and George on the state courts’ treatment of persons based on gender, race and ethnicity, sexual preferences, and disabilities.

Among her other accomplishments in court administration was the Judicial Council’s adoption of the first rule of court in 1984 permitting television and photographic coverage of court proceedings in trial and appellate courts with the consent of the court. In the area of technology, Chief Justice Bird introduced word and data processing to the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.

In 1965, Chief Justice Bird received her J.D. degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.  After graduation, she clerked for the Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.  In 1966, she became the first woman hired as a deputy public defender in Santa Clara County, and practiced criminal law in that office for eight years.  From 1972 to 1974, she taught criminal and consumer law at Stanford Law School.

In 1975, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. appointed her as the first woman to serve as a cabinet member in California.  As Secretary of the Agriculture and Services Agency, she had administrative responsibility over 12 different state agencies.

On March 26, 1977, she was sworn in as Chief Justice of California, a position she held until January 1987.

The Supreme Court will hold a memorial session for Chief Justice Bird at a date later to be announced.  Funeral services are pending.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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