EVENTS
Rebecca Dietzen
Women Lawyers of Sacramento
is an attorney with the Department of Health Care Services and is the 2015 President of Women Lawyers of Sacramento. She can be reached at rad@rdietzen.com.
Annual Supreme Court Reception by Rebecca Dietzen
Associate Justice Marvin Baxter with 2014 WLS President Maralee Eriksen
Associate Justice Ming Chin, Third District Justice Rebecca Dietzen, Chief Justice Harry Hull, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, and Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Maralee Eriksen, California Supreme Court Administrator and Clerk and WLS board member Miranda Dalju Frank McGuire
On
November 3, 2014, the Sacramento bench and nor’s principal advisor on all gubernatorial appointments bar gathered in the foyer of the Stanley Mosk Limade to the executive and judicial branches of government. brary and Courts building to welcome the justices of the The Chief Justice was also a part of Governor Deukmejian’s California Supreme Court and to honor the retirement of team, and both the Chief Justice and Justice Baxter shared Associate Justice Marvin R. Baxter and retired Associate their fond memories of each other from that time. Justice Justice Joyce L. Kennard. The reception Baxter served as the Appointments Secfollowed the Court’s oral arguments and retary for six years and assisted in the The Chief Justice and appointment of more than 700 judgchamber conference. It was a wonderful evening emcee’d by Women Lawyers of es. These include Justice Vance Raye, Justice Chin provided Sacramento (WLS) President Maralee whom Justice Baxter helped appoint to Eriksen, and highlighted by remarks a touching tribute to the Sacramento Superior Court, and his from Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, now colleague and friend, Justice Ming a great legal mind Associate Justice Ming W. Chin, and AsW. Chin, who was initially appointed to sociate Justice Marvin R. Baxter. In light the Alameda Superior Court and then to whose presence on the of Justice’s Baxter’s impending retirement, the First District Court of Appeal. Justices remarks centered on Justice Baxter’s sigbench will be missed. Chin and Baxter shared, rather comicalnificant contributions to our state’s legal ly, Justice Chin’s interview and appointcommunity. ment process for the Alameda Superior The Chief Justice spoke of Justice Baxter’s legal career, Court position. Justice Baxter also recalled the efforts of the including his many years in Fresno, first as a deputy district administration, in conjunction with WLS and California attorney and then as an associate and later a partner in a Women Lawyers, to encourage a more diverse pool of judiFresno law firm where he practiced civil law for 13 years. cial candidates, including the development of the “So You She lauded his volunteer activities both in the legal commuThink You Want to Be a Judge?” program, which is still regnity and through his alma maters, California State Universiularly offered by California Women Lawyers. He described ty, Fresno and Hastings College of the Law. his time in Sacramento as some of his best years. In January 1983, Baxter became Appointments SecreJustice Baxter went on to be appointed and confirmed tary to Governor George Deukmejian and was the goveras an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appel-
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SACRAMENTO LAWYER | January/February 2015 | www.sacbar.org