Advertisement

Broussard Not Retiring From State High Court

Share
Times Staff Writer

Justice Allen E. Broussard has sought to allay speculation that he soon may step down from the state Supreme Court, declaring that he is “not about to retire” from the bench.

Broussard, regarded as the most liberal member of a predominantly conservative court, made the pronouncement Thursday night at a festive reception honoring his 60th birthday and 25th anniversary as a judge.

In the midst of remarks to well-wishers at a gathering sponsored by the Charles Houston Bar Assn., Broussard turned directly toward a group of reporters who had been invited to the event.

Advertisement

Not Retiring

“I want to say to the press that I do have a very significant announcement to make,” he said, as a hush fell over the room. “Pull out your pads and pencils, turn on your tape recorders and mark my words. . . . Ready? I am not about to retire.”

As the audience cheered, he added: “There are a few more opinions kicking around in this old head yet, so you’ll still have Allen Broussard’s opinions to write about.”

In recent months speculation has grown among court observers that Broussard, perhaps discouraged by his new role on the court, would resign when he turned 60 and became eligible for full retirement benefits. When asked earlier about such reports, Broussard would only say, “Wait till April.”

Broussard, who began his judicial career as an Alameda County Municipal Court judge in 1964, was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 1981, becoming only the second black justice to serve on the high court.

While the court was led by a liberal majority under former Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird, Broussard was its least-frequent dissenter. But then the court underwent a sharp philosophical realignment when three appointees of Gov. George Deukmejian took the bench to succeed Bird and two other justices defeated in the 1986 general election.

Although voting patterns often vary case by case, Broussard and Justice Stanley Mosk are viewed generally as making up the liberal, minority wing of the seven-member court. And Broussard now has become the court’s most frequent dissenter.

Late last month, in a speech before the Criminal Trial Lawyers of Northern California, Broussard acknowledged that he now often is in the minority on court votes but offered personal praise for his more conservative colleagues, observing that “collegiality, friendliness and cordiality remain high” on the court.

Advertisement

“The only time it gets a little lonely for me is when it’s time to sign my name on an opinion,” he said. He specifically applauded the “evenhanded manner” of Chief Justice Malcolm M. Lucas, one of the most conservative of the justices. “I just wish I could persuade him to line up on the other side,” Broussard said.

Advertisement