Marvin R. Baxter

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Marvin R. Baxter (born January 9, 1940) is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California.

Contents

[edit] Background

Baxter was born in Fowler, California, and was raised on his family's farm. He attended California State University, Fresno, earning a degree in economics. Upon graduation, he became a Coro Foundation Fellow in Public Affairs (1962-63), and attended the Hastings College of the Law, from which he earned his law degree in 1966.[1]

He began his legal career as a Fresno County deputy district attorney in 1967. Subsequently, he entered private practice in civil law in 1969.[1]

In 1983, he moved back into public service as Appointments Secretary, advising Governor George Deukmejian on judicial and executive appointments.[1]

In December 1988, Governor Deukmejian appointed him to be an associate justice of the California Court of Appeal for the fifth district. In January 1991, he was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of California.[1]

[edit] Judicial philosophy

Baxter prefers not to describe his own judicial philosophy, but a 1993 article in the Los Angeles Times described him as having an "emerging reputation among court observers as cautious, conservative and competent".[2] The article also described a split between observers who considered him a solid part of the Court's conservative majority (led by Malcolm M. Lucas), and others who considered him harder to pin down and praised the legal reasoning of several of his decisions. In 2008, he was part of the dissenting minority in In re Marriage Cases, a 4-3 decision legalizing same-sex marriage in California.

[edit] Notable Judicial Opinions

  • In re Marriage Cases, May 15, 2008 (Partial concurrence and partial dissent from ruling that ban on same-sex marriage violates California Constitution).

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Associate Justice Marvin R. Baxter. Judicial Council of California. Retrieved on 2006-05-29.
  2. ^ "Justice Baxter Digs In but Critics Still Harbor Doubts", The Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1993, p. 3 (Section A). 
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