Art W. McKinster, Associate Justice

NAME: Art W. McKinster

POSITION: Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two

PERSONAL

Born 1946, Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Resident of San Bernardino since 1950. Married Della McKinster, a special education teacher, in 1973. Two adult daughters.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Juris Doctorate Degree, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 1971
• Bachelor of Science Degree with honors in Business Administration, University of Southern California, 1968

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• Admitted to the State Bar of California, 1972
• Deputy District Attorney, San Bernardino County, 1972 to 1978, trial lawyer prosecuting major felony crimes including numerous homicides
• Supervising Deputy District Attorney, San Bernardino County, 1977 to 1978, in charge of operations for the Central Municipal Court District and four Justice Courts
• Chief Deputy District Attorney, 1978 to 1984, in charge of the Ontario and Chino offices, supervising 22 attorneys and the secretarial and clerical staff
• Judge, San Bernardino County Municipal Court, 1984 to 1985, appointed by Governor George Deukmejian
• Judge, San Bernardino County Superior Court, 1985 to 1990, appointed by Governor George Deukmejian. Served as Presiding Judge of Juvenile Court, 1988 to 1989
• Associate Justice, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two, 1990 to present. Nominated by Governor George Deukmejian and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Nominees on December 27, 1990. Elected by the voters in the general election of 1994
• Served as an Associate Justice, pro tempore, California Supreme Court

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• California District Attorneys Association, 1976 to 1984
• California Judges Association, member 1984 to present
• San Bernardino County Bar Association, presently an honorary member, 1974 to present
• California Commission on Judicial Performance, served as Presiding Master in the Commission's inquiry into allegations of ethical misconduct by a Superior Court judge, 2001
• Judicial Council's Task Force on the Appellate Process, member
• Judicial Council's Library Technology Committee, past member
• University of La Verne College of Law, judge, moot court competitions
• Instructor in criminal law and procedure, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy, 1977 to 1984

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

• Ontario Rotary Club, 1980-1984, vice-president in 1984
• Home of Neighborly Service, a community service organization, board member 1983 to 1985
• San Bernardino Valley Community Concert Association, board member, 1984 to 1990, vice-president 1990
• San Bernardino City Commissions: Bureau of Franchises, 1982 to 1983; Animal Advisory Commission, 1983 to 1984
• Pacific High School, San Bernardino, California, coach of the mock trial team, 1995 to 1997
• San Bernardino County Mock Trial Finals Competition, judge, 1994 to present
• Lay Person of the Year 1996, Phi Delta Kappa educational fraternity, award for contributions to youth education
• Tachikawa, Japan, Sister City Student Exchange Program, board member 1996 to 1997
• Del Rosa United Methodist Church: Administrative Council, present chair; Endowment Fund, present chair; Staff Relations Committee, past chair; Finance Committee, member and past chair

MILITARY

• ROTC military science classes, University of California at Berkeley, 1969 to 1971
• Commissioned in 1971, second lieutenant U.S. Army Reserve, Field Artillery. Officer basic training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma
• Captain, 426^th Civil Affairs Company, Upland, California, 8 years service
• Attended Judge Advocate General's School, University of Virginia. Branch transfer to JAG Corps after completion of studies