Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

 

Page 1

 

Roger Boren Named Administrative Presiding Justice

 

By DAVID WATSON, Staff Writer

 

Presiding Justice Roger W. Boren of Div. Two was named yesterday by Chief Justice Ronald M. George to replace Presiding Justice Charles S. Vogel of Div. Four as administrative presiding justice of this district’s Court of Appeal.

Boren, 62, has served as assistant administrative presiding justice for the past seven years, George noted in a statement. Vogel announced earlier this month that he plans to leave the Court of Appeal at the end of January.

Vogel said he had urged the chief justice to make the appointment, explaining they spoke about the matter two weeks ago.

“I requested that the chief justice make this appointment before I leave to make for a smoother transition,” Vogel said. He called Boren “a very experienced fellow.”

Vogel noted the timing of the appointment will allow Boren to assume his new responsibilities before the new year begins, and will provide for a little over a month of overlap during which Vogel will be available to assist him.

The administrative presiding justice is responsible, under the chief justice’s supervision, for financial and personnel matters affecting the Court of Appeal district. This district’s Court of Appeal has eight divisions, seven of them headquartered in Los Angeles.

The court’s Div. Six is located in Ventura and serves San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The court has 32 justices, with four assigned to each division.

Boren was named to the Court of Appeal’s Div. Five by then-Gov. George Deukmejian in 1987 and to the post of presiding justice of Div. Two, succeeding Justice Lester W. Roth, by then Gov. Pete Wilson in 1992. Deukmejian appointed him to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1985, and prior to that he served as a Newhall Municipal Court judge.

Before becoming a judge, Boren was a deputy attorney general. He served as co-counsel in the “Hillside Strangler” prosecution of Angelo Buono Jr.

He earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, a masters degree from San Jose State University, and his law degree at UCLA.

In the statement announcing Boren’s appointment, the Administrative Office of the Courts said it is anticipated that a new assistant administrative presiding justice for this district will not be named until a new Div. Four presiding justice is appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace Vogel.

 

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