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ASSOCIATE JUSTICE KATHRYN M. WERDEGAR
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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 chair of the Appellate
Justices Education Committee of the Center
for Judicial Education and Research (CJER).
She 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.
