Stanley Mosk, 1913 - 2001
Stanley Mosk was born in 1913 in San Antonio. He studied law at the Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles and also at the University of Chicago. He served for over 16 years as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Over the course of his life he made many landmark decisions in high impact court cases. He was a life long democrat and was elected as the state attorney general of California twice, in the late 50's and early 60's. During his tenure in that position, Mosk established the offices civil rights division and helped to dissuade the Professional Golfers Association from employing their whites only policy.
In 1964, Mosk was appointed to the California Supreme Court, a position he served in for 37, till the day he died. He was the state's longest serving justice, writing over 1,500 opinions in the course of that tenure. He often expressed an opinion that was separate from the majority, yet also showed a flexibility with sensitive materials. He often made decisions on sensitive topics such as race that were later mimicked by the nations highest court.
Stanley Mosk died on June 20, 2001 in San Francisco at the age of 88. At the time of his death, he was the only liberal on the seven member California Supreme Court.