When
it comes to family law most decisions are left to the states. The final
arbiter of legal decisions in California is of course the California
Supreme Court. That being the case Californians should know who their
Supreme Court Justices are. One by one I am going to cut and paste the
profiles for each justice, as they appear on the Court's official
website. Today we feature Associate Justice Ming W. Chin.
Associate Justice Ming W. Chin
On
March 1, 1996, Justice Ming W. Chin became an Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of California. Governor Pete Wilson appointed him to that
position on January 25, 1996. On March 1, he was confirmed by the
Commission on Judicial Appointments and sworn in by the Governor.
Justice Chin previously served as the Presiding Justice of the First
District Court of Appeal, Division Three, in San Francisco beginning
January 2, 1995. He was appointed to that position by Governor Pete
Wilson on August 17, 1994, and in November 1994 was elected to a
12-year term. Previously he was an associate justice of that court,
having been appointed to that position by former Governor George
Deukmejian. Prior to that appointment, he served as a judge of the
Alameda County Superior Court. Before his appointment to the bench,
Justice Chin was a partner in an Oakland law firm, where he specialized
in business and commercial litigation.
Justice
Chin obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science as well
as a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of San Francisco
and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1970; he also has been
admitted to practice before the federal courts, as well as the United
States Tax Court. After he graduated from law school, Justice Chin
served two years as a Captain in the United States Army, including a
year in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and
the Bronze Star. He then served three years as a deputy district
attorney for Alameda County, where he tried numerous felony and
misdemeanor jury trials and progressed to the position of felony trial
deputy.
In
1973, Justice Chin was recruited by the Oakland law firm of Aiken,
Kramer & Cummings, Incorporated, to head its trial department. He
became a principal of the firm in 1976. His successful trials include
two judgments in excess of one million dollars. The first was a $1.3
million judgment in an unfair competition/ wrongful termination case in
the Alameda County Superior Court, and the second was a $1.2 million
award in an arbitration of a construction dispute in Los Angeles.
Justice
Chin has served on many committees of the state and local bar
associations and was the first Asian-American to serve as President of
the Alameda County Bar Association in its more than 100-year history.
He was a member of the Judicial Council Appellate Advisory Committee
and the Advisory Committee on Racial and Ethnic Bias. He served as a
member of the Board of Trustees of the University of San Francisco,
where he was a member of the Executive Committee and chaired the
Academic Affairs Committee. He was also a member of the USF Law School
Board of Counselors and an Adjunct Professor of Law. The USF Alumni
Association presented him a distinguished service award in 1985 for his
work as a past president of that organization. In 1988, he was selected
as the USF Alumnus of the Year; in 1993, he was named USF Law School
Alumnus of the Year; and in 1996 USF Law School presented him with the
St. Thomas More Award. Justice Chin was selected as the Outstanding
Judge of the Year in 1989 by the Southern Alameda County Bar
Association. The San Francisco Bay Chapter of the American Jewish
Committee named him recipient of the 1997 Learned Hand Award. In 1998
he served as President of the Commonwealth Club of California.
Justice
Chin has authored landmark decisions in areas such as DNA, toxic tort
insurance coverage, surrogate parents, and hate crimes. He has
frequently lectured on DNA, genetics, and the courts, to groups
including the American Bar Association's Judicial Division, the State
of California's Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER), the
National College of Probate Judges, the Wisconsin Supreme Court
Judicial Education Committee, and the Chulabhorn International Science
Congress, Bangkok, Thailand. He is a frequent lecturer in judicial
education and gave the Traynor Lecture at the Witkin Judicial College
in June 2008. He also spoke on behalf of the California Supreme Court
in December 1996 at its memorial session honoring the late Bernard E.
Witkin. He is an author of California Practice Guide: Employment
Litigation (The Rutter Group 2007).
EDUCATION
Bellarmine College Preparatory, 1960
San Jose, California
University of San Francisco
B.A., Political Science, 1964
University of San Francisco, School of Law
Juris Doctorate, Law, 1967
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT
Supreme Court of California
Associate Justice appointed by Governor Pete Wilson, January 25, 1996
Confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, March 1, 1996
Oath of Office, March 1, 1996
Elected, 12-year term, November 1998
PAST EMPLOYMENT
Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three, Presiding Justice
Appointed by Governor Pete Wilson, August 17, 1994
Confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, August 29, 1994
Oath of Office, December 2, 1994
Elected, 12-year term, November 1994
Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three, Associate Justice
Appointed by Governor George Deukmejian, August 7, 1990
Confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, August 20, 1990
Oath of Office, August 20, 1990
Elected, 12-year term, November 1990
Alameda County Superior Court, Judge
Appointed by Governor George Deukmejian, January 6,1988
Oath of Office, January 8, 1988
Elected, 6-year term, November 1990
United States Army, Captain (1967 - 1969)
- Fort Lewis, Washington
Chief of the Transfer Station
U.S. Army Personnel Center
Fort Carson,
Colorado
Chief Personnel Officer
1st Brigade of the 5th Division
Long Binh, Vietnam
Procurement Officer
U.S. Army Headquarters, Vietnam
United States Army Reserves, Captain (1969 - 1971)
- 91st Division, Headquarters
Fort Baker
Sausalito, California
Alameda County, California
Deputy District Attorney, 1970 - 1972
Aiken, Kramer & Cummings, Inc.
Associate, 1973 - 1976
Partner, 1976 - 1988
(Specialized in business litigation and employment law
counseling and litigation)
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
California Judges Association
Member, 1988 - present
Member, Public Information and Education Committee
Graduate, California Judges College, 1988
Judicial Council of California
Chair, Court Technology Advisory Committee, 2002 - Present
Chair, California Commission for Impartial Courts, 2007 - Present
Chair, Science and the Law Steering Committee, 2005 - 2007
Member, Advisory Committee on Racial and Ethnic Bias,
1990 - 1997
Member, Appellate Advisory Committee, 1993 - 1996
State Bar of California
Delegate, Conference of Delegates, 1983 - 1986
Referee, State Bar Court, 1978, 1979
Member, Executive Committee of the State Bar Court, 1993
- 1994
Alameda County Bar Association
Member, Board of Directors, 1983 - 1988
Vice-President, 1986
President, 1987
San Francisco District Attorney's Commission on
Hate Crimes
Member, 1990 - 1992
COMMUNITY SERVICE
University of San Francisco
Member, Alpha Sigma Nu, National Jesuit Honor Society
Editor, USF Yearbook, 1964 (The Don)
Member, USF Alumni Board of Governors, 1978 - 1984
President, USF Alumni Association, 1983 - 1984
Member, Board of Counselors, USF School of Law, 1980 to
present
Commencement Speaker, College of Professional Studies,
May 1985
Member, USF Board of Trustees, 1985 - 1997
Member, Personnel Committee, 1985 - 1988
Member, Executive Committee, 1986 - 1988, 1993 - 1998
Member, Academic Affairs Committee, 1988 - 1998;
Chairman of the Committee, 1993 - 1998
Adjunct Professor of Law, 1989 - 1993
Commonwealth Club of California
Member since 1978
Member, Program Committee, 1992 - present
Chairman of the Committee, 1995
Member, Board of Governors, 1993 - present
Chairman of the Executive Committee, 1996
President-elect, 1997
President, 1998
First District Agricultural Association
Member, Board of Directors, 1985 - 1988
AWARDS AND HONORS
McQuade Award for Journalism, USF, 1964
U.S. Army Commendation Medal, Quang Tri, Vietnam, 1969
The Bronze Star (U.S. Army), Long Binh, Vietnam, 1969
Distinguished Service Award, USF Alumni Association,
April 1985
Alumnus of the Year, USF, 1988
Appointed by California Governor George Deukmejian as
a Member of the Board of Directors, First District
Agricultural Association, 1985-1988
Outstanding Judge of the Year, 1989, Southern Alameda
County Bar Association
Alumnus of the Year, USF School of Law, 1993
St. Thomas More Award, USF School of Law, 1996
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Southwestern University School of Law, 1996
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Golden Gate University School of Law, 1997
Learned Hand Award, American Jewish Committee, SF Bay Chapter, 1997
Honoree for Service in the Field of Law, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent
Association & Chinese Women's Association of America, 1997
Legal Impact Award, Asian Pacific American Legal Center of
Southern California, 1997
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of San Diego School of Law, 1998
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Western State University School of Law, 1998
Citizen of the Year Award, Chinese Americans United for Self
Empowerment, 1998
Public Service & Government Leadership Award, Asian Business
Association, 1998
Trailblazer Award, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, 1999
Grand Marshall, San Gabriel Valley Lunar New Year Parade, 2000
Honorary Doctor of Laws, California Western School of Law, 2001
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Pepperdine University School of Law, 2002
United States Attorney's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Award, 2004
Distinguished Faculty Service, Judicial Council of California Education Division, 2005
Promoting Diversity Through Judicial Excellence, California Minority Counsel Program, 2006
Commitment to Community Award, Asian Pacific Bar Association of Silicon Valley, 2006
Legal Impact Award, Asian Law Alliance, 2007
PUBLICATIONS
Keynote Address: "Fairness or Bias?: A Symposium on Racial and Ethnic Composition and Attitudes in the Judiciary" (May 1997) 4 Asian Law Journal (Boalt Hall School of Law, U.C. Berkeley) 181
California Practice Guide: Employment Litigation (The Rutter Group, 2007)
Healthcare and Other Social Aspects of Genetics: a Judicial Perspective (2007) Vol. 8, No. 5, Int. J. Healthcare Technology and Management, 549.
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