O.C. Judge Takes Oath for State Appellate Bench
Orange County Superior Court Judge Kathleen D. O’Leary was appointed Friday to the state Court of Appeal for the 4th Appellate District, Division 3, in Santa Ana.
While administering the oath of office to O’Leary, Chief Justice Ronald M. George, chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission, called her an “exceptional trial court judge, court administrator and educator.”
“She has always accepted every special opportunity to serve the courts and the community, including her outstanding contribution during her three-year term as a member of the California Judicial Council,” George said.
O’Leary, 49, has been an Orange County Superior Court judge since 1986 and was the first woman to serve as presiding judge, a position she has held for the past two years.
Before joining the Superior Court, O’Leary was in the West Justice Center in Westminster, where she served from 1981 to 1985.
Later this month she will receive the Jurist of the Year award from the California Judicial Council.
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