Wednesday, April 19, 2006
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Fresno Superior Court Judge Brad R. Hill Confirmed As Justice of Fifth District Court of Appeal
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Fresno Superior Court Judge Brad R. Hill was confirmed yesterday as the newest member of the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Hill, 51, gained unanimous approval from the Commission on Judicial Appointments, which when considering Fifth District appointments consists of Chief Justice Ronald M. George, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, and Fifth District Presiding Justice James Ardaiz.
Confirmation came following a short hearing in San Francisco.
Hill, a Republican, was nominated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed Justice Tim Buckley, who retired in September. Hill is a California Judges Association vice president and a former Judicial Council member.
An Oregon native whose family moved to Fresno when he was a child, Hill graduated from California State University, Fresno in 1977 and went on to earn a master’s in business administration at that school two years later. He then graduated from Hastings College of the Law in 1983 and returned to Fresno to join the law firm of McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth.
He later became a partner in the firm, specializing in litigation, including personal injury, product liability, and wrongful termination cases. He left the firm when then-Gov. George Deukmejian named him to the Superior Court in 1991.
He also has worked as an adjunct professor at San Joaquin College of Law.
In addition to his CJA and Judicial Council service, he has been actively involved in judicial education, the Hastings alumni association, the Fresno County Bar Association, and local civic and cultural groups in Fresno.
He also served on the California Law Revision Commission.
Copyright 2006, Metropolitan News Company