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| Release Date: June 14, 2004 | Release Number: 32 |
The appointees are: Justice Candace D. Cooper, Second Appellate District; Judge Suzanne N. Kingsbury, Superior Court of El Dorado County; Judge Douglas P. Miller, Superior Court of Riverside County; Ms. Tamara L. Beard, Executive Officer of the Superior Court of Fresno County; and Mr. James E. Herman, former president of the State Bar of California and partner with the Santa Barbara law firm Reicker, Pfau, Pyle, McRoy & Herman.
Chaired by the Chief Justice, the Judicial Council consists of 14 judicial members appointed by the Chief Justice, 4 attorney members appointed by the State Bar Board of Governors, 1 member from each house of the Legislature, 6 advisory members, and the Administrative Director of the courts, who serves as secretary to the council.
Members of the council are selected through a nominating procedure designed to attract applicants from throughout the legal system, with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and geographic locations. The council’s Executive and Planning Committee solicits nominations and applications and then forwards the names of three nominees for each position to the Chief Justice for consideration. The committee gives added consideration to persons who have served on Judicial Council advisory committees or task forces.
Terms on the council are staggered, with one-third of the council’s membership changing each year. All new members were appointed for three-year terms that will begin on September 15, 2004.
Established by the state Constitution in 1926, the 27-member Judicial Council is responsible for ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice in the nation’s largest court system. In recent years, the council played a leadership role in the unification of the state’s municipal and superior courts, state funding of the courts, the ongoing transfer of trial court facilities from the counties to the state, jury system reforms, and numerous initiatives to make the courts more effective in responding to the needs of Californians.
A summary of the appointments follows.
Presiding Justice Candace D. Cooper of the Second Appellate District, Division Eight, was nominated to her position in 2001. She previously served as Associate Justice in Division Two (1999–2001), on the Los Angeles Superior Court (1987–1999), and on the Los Angeles Municipal Court (1980–1987). Justice Cooper served a previous term on the council, from 1988 to 1989, as president of the California Judges Association. Justice Cooper has been active in numerous Judicial Council activities; she is currently chairperson of the council’s Judicial Service Advisory Committee (2001-present) and served as chair of the council’s Brown v. Board of Education Planning Committee (2003–2004). Justice Cooper is also active in numerous professional and community organizations including the California Women Lawyers Association, the Langston Bar Association, and the California Association of Black Lawyers. The recipient of many awards and honors, Justice Cooper has most recently received the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Roger J. Traynor Memorial Award, Appellate Justice of the Year (2003), and the NOBLE (National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives) Southern California Chapter Achievement Award (2003). Justice Cooper will replace Justice Norman L. Epstein.
Presiding Judge Suzanne N. Kingsbury of the Superior Court of El Dorado County was elected to the Superior Court in 1996, becoming the first female Superior Court judge in El Dorado history. She has served as presiding judge of the court for the last five years. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Kingsbury was a Deputy District Attorney (1985–1990) and then Deputy Public Defender (1990–1996) in El Dorado County. Prior to moving to El Dorado County, she was in private civil practice in Sacramento County (1982-1985). Judge Kingsbury is active in judicial administration at the state level and also in community affairs in El Dorado. She currently serves as vice chair of the Judicial Council’s Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee and is a member of the Task Force on Judicial Ethics and Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants. She has also served as faculty and an advisor in several programs for the Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER). In her community, Judge Kingsbury serves on the Criminal Justice Curriculum Advisory Committee at Lake Tahoe Community College and has served as president of the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center and on the boards of the Sierra Recovery Center and the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation. Judge Kingsbury will replace Judge William C. Harrison.
Presiding Judge Douglas P. Miller of the Superior Court of Riverside
County was an accomplished civil trial attorney (1978–1995) and a recognized
leader in Riverside’s legal community prior to his appointment to the bench
in 1995. Statewide, he serves on several Judicial Council committees
including the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory
Committee, the Trial Court Executive Management Budget Working Group,
the Presiding Judges and Court Executives Legislation Subcommittee (co-chair),
and the Civil Law Education Planning Committee. From 1999–2002, he
served on the Board of Directors of the California Judges Association.
In Riverside, Judge Miller is a founding member and on the board of directors
of the Warren E. Slaughter American Inn of Court, a founding member of
the Bench/Bar/Media Group and the Government in Action Program, and serves
on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Coachella Valley, among other
local activities. Judge Miller will replace Judge Barbara A. Zúñiga.
Ms. Tamara L. Beard, Executive Officer of the Superior Court of Fresno County, has two decades of court administration experience and has actively served on numerous court-related, community, and Judicial Council committees. These include the council's Court Executives Advisory Committee (1996–1999, 2001–2003), Administrative Working Group for Senate Bill 371 Interpreter Employment Implementation (2002–2003), Presiding Judges and Court Executives Education Committee (2002-Present), and others. During her tenure as Court Executive, Ms. Beard has successfully implemented several programs designed to increase public access to and confidence in the courts, including the Legal Resources Center for the Spanish-speaking community. Ms. Beard’s achievements were formally recognized when the Chief Justice and Judicial Council presented her with the Judicial Administrator of the Year Award in 2002. Ms. Beard will replace Ms. Susan Null as an advisory member.
Mr. James E. Herman, a partner with the Santa Barbara law firm Reicker, Pfau, Pyle, McRoy & Herman, was named to the council in March by the State Bar Board of Governors. During 2002 and 2003, Mr. Herman served as president of the State Bar of California. As a member of the Board of Governors, he chaired the Planning, Program Development & Budget Committee and the Review Panel of the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission. He served on the Committee on Regulation and Discipline, the Legislative and Courts Committee, and the Futures Committee. He also served as State Bar Liaison to the California Judges Association and currently serves as a member of the California Commission on Access to Justice. Mr. Herman is the recipient of many professional awards, including the Judicial Council’s 2003 Bernard E. Witkin Distinguished Service Amicus Curiae Award, the state’s highest honor for those who demonstrate extraordinary leadership and make significant contributions to the administration of justice in California. Mr. Herman will replace Mr. Thomas J. Warwick.
The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the leadership of the Chief Justice and in accordance with the California Constitution, the council is responsible for ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice. The Administrative Office of the Courts carries out the official actions of the council and promotes leadership and excellence in court administration.
Note to Editors: For a more complete description of the structure
and role of the state Judicial Council, including a roster of current and
past members, see the Profile of the Judicial Council/Administrative Office
of the Courts on the California Courts Web site at http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courtadmin/jc/documents/profilejc.pdf.
For a print copy of the recently updated Profile, Third Edition, call the
Office of Communications at 415-865-7740 or e-mail pubinfo@jud.ca.gov.