William W. Bedsworth

William W. Bedsworth (born on November 21, 1947, in Long Beach, California) is an incumbent Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal.

Background

Justice Bedsworth grew up in Gardena, California. He lives in Laguna Beach and is married to Kelly. He also has a 16-year-old daughter, Caitlin. [ [http://www.law.com/regionals/ca/judges/4district/bedswort.htm www.law.com/regionals, Profile, William Bedsworth] ] He graduated with a Bachelor of Art's Degree (cum laude) from Loyola Marymount University in 1968 and earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall School of Law) in 1971. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in January 1972.

Legal career

Bedsworth worked as a prosecutor in the Orange County District Attorney's Office (line deputy, felony trial deputy, appellate attorney, and managing attorney)as an Orange County deputy district attorney from 1972-1987. He handled cases in the California and United States Supreme Courts. He twice was elected President of the Association of Orange County Deputy District Attorneys and twice was elected to serve as a Director of the Board of the Orange County Bar Association.

In 1986, he won election to an Orange County Superior Court seat; he was re-elected in 1992 and February 1997 (he was Orange County Superior Court judge, 1987-1997). He was assigned by California Supreme Court as temporary appellate justice from April to December 1994.

On February 25, 1997, Governor Pete Wilson appointed him an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District, Division 3 in Santa Ana, and he was confirmed to serve in that position from 1998 through 2010.

The Court of Appeal is the state intermediate appellate court in the State of California. It is divided into 6 appellate districts. Its published decisions are binding on the superior courts, and the Court of Appeal, in turn, is bound by decisions of the Supreme Court of California. Justice Bedsworth serves as a Justice in the Fourth District, Division Three, Court of Appeal in Santa Ana. The Division Three courthouse is located at 925 No. Spurgeon Street in Santa Ana and handles appeals from all of Orange County. Currently, eight (8) Justices make up the Division Three court. Its Presiding Justice is David G. Sills.

Notable opinions

* In re Transcripts of Phase Three Grand Jury Proceedings, 64 Cal.App.4th 1203; People v. Simpson, 65 Cal.App.4th 854.
*THE CITY OF GARDEN GROVE v. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF ORANGE COUNTY, G036250 [ [http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/G036250.PDF www.courtinfo.ca.gov] ] (Super. Ct. No. GG98995)

Academic activities and publications

Bedsworth was a member of the adjunct faculties of Western State University College of Law, Chapman University School of Law, the California Judicial College in Berkeley, and the Board of Advisors of Whittier Law School.

He has published law review articles and in lay magazines. He has long written a clever column entitled, "A Criminal Waste of Space," and recently published his second book, "A Criminal Waste of Time" (American Lawyer Media Publications). He writes regularly for the Orange County Lawyer magazine. [ [http://vote98.sos.ca.gov/Judges98/William%20Bedsworth.html vote98.sos.ca.gov, Associate Justice, Fourth Appellate District] ] The California Newspaper Publishers' Association named Bedsworth's "A Criminal Waste of Space" best work in the field of 'Columns, Commentary, and Criticism' in a paper of under 10,000 circulation for 2004. [ [http://www.mayitpleasethecourt.com/journal.asp?blogid=875 mayitpleasethecourt.com, Justice Bedsworth Honored for 'A Criminal Waste of Space'] ]

Other activities

*He became a Director on the Board of National Conference of Christians and Jews and Fair Share 502 and was voted by the Hispanic Bar Association as Judge of the Year in 1997.
*He spent several years as an goal judge for the National Hockey League at all Anaheim Ducks home games and some road playoff games, and he became the subject of a story in "ESPN The Magazine" entitled "Justice of the Crease." He was the first-ever winner of the highly coveted title of Law Star / Stellar Americian Lawyer. [ [http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/index.php?id=330 lawcrossing.com, William Bedsworth] ]

See also

* Supreme Court of California
* California Court of Appeal

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ocbar.org/bedsworth.htm A CRIMINAL WASTE OF SPACE]
* [http://www.acriminalwasteofspace.com/journal_beds.asp Criminal Waste of Space]
* [http://www.law.com/regionals/ca/opinions/stories/020628bedsworth.shtml The Bedsworth Pygmy Hippo Jailbreak Rule, A modest proposal for the emendation of CALJIC 2.92]
* [http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/courtsofappeal/4thDistrictDiv3/justices/bedsworth.htm William W. Bedsworth, Associate Justice]
* [http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov California Judicial System]
* [http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov Appellate Case Information System]
* [http://www.lawcatalog.com/product_detail.cfm?productID=3158&setlist=0&return=listview A Criminal Waste of Time by William W. Bedsworth]