Associate Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar
Judicial Experience: The Honorable Kathryn M. Werdegar was
appointed to the California Supreme Court by Governor Pete Wilson on
May 3, 1994. In November 2002, she was re-elected to a new term of
office which began on January 7, 2003. Prior to her elevation to the
Supreme Court, she served on the First District Court of Appeal in
San Francisco.
Education: Justice Werdegar commenced her law studies at
the University of California School of Law (Boalt Hall), where she
was first in her class and the first woman to be elected
editor-in-chief of the California Law Review. She completed her law
studies at George Washington University, where she graduated first
in her class. She received her B.A. (with honors) from the
University of California at Berkeley.
Career Highlights: Before her appointment to the bench,
Justice Werdegar's career highlights included service with the
United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; director of
the criminal law division of California Continuing Education of the
Bar; senior staff attorney with the California Court of Appeal and
the California Supreme Court; and professor and Associate Dean for
Academic and Student Affairs at the University of San Francisco
School of Law.
Honors and Awards: Justice Werdegar was appointed Regents'
Lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley, 2000. She is
the recipient of the University of California School of Law (Boalt
Hall) Citation Award (Boalt Hall's highest honor), 2002; the
Consumer Attorneys of California Justice of the Year Award, 1998;
the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Appellate Justice
of the Year Award, 1996; the California Alumni Association
Excellence in Achievement Award, 1996; the George Washington
University Law Alumni Association Distinguished Public Service
Award, 1996; and the George Washington University School of Law
Charles Glover Award for Highest Achievement in the Field of Law,
1962.
Justice Werdegar has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from
Western State University College of Law, Southwestern University
School of Law, and Pepperdine University School of Law.
Justice Werdegar was elected editor-in-chief of the California
Law Review and served as a member of the George Washington
University Law Review. She is a life member of the Order of the Coif
and the recipient of five American Jurisprudence Awards.
Publications: Justice Werdegar has written law review
articles, monographs, model codes, and chapters in legal texts for
practitioners. Her publications have addressed such issues as the
relationship between the courts and private alternative dispute
resolution, the value of diversity in the judicial system, and
California criminal procedure. Under the auspices of the California
College of Trial Judges (now the Center for Judicial Education and
Research (CJER)), she authored a benchbook on misdemeanor procedure
for trial court judges that has served as a model for other
procedural benchbooks used in trial courts throughout the state.
Professional Activities and Associations: Justice Werdegar
is a member of the American Law Institute, the National Association
of Women Judges, the California/Nevada Women Judges Association, and
the California Judges Association. She is a board member of the
California Supreme Court Historical Society and a former board
member of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association.
Personal Data: Justice Werdegar was born in San Francisco.
She and her husband, a family physician, have two grown sons and
three grandchildren.
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