Albert Lee Stephens Sr. (January 25, 1874 – January 15, 1965) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Distri ...

from 1937 to 1965. Prior to that, he was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of California The United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in case citations, S.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appe ...

and the Presiding Justice of the

California Court of Appeal The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided along county lines into six appellate districts.

, Second District, Division Two.

Education and career

Born in State Line City,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, Stephens

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under th ...

in 1899 and received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

from the

USC Gould School of Law The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated with ...

in 1903. He was in private practice of law in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

from 1899 to 1906. He was a Justice of the Peace in Los Angeles from 1906 to 1910. He was in private practice from 1910 to 1911. He was a civil service commissioner for State of California from 1911 to 1913. He was city attorney of Los Angeles from 1913 to 1919. He was in private practice from 1919 to 1920. He was a Judge of the

Superior Court of Los Angeles County The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

from 1919 to 1932. He was appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

James Rolph James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr. (August 23, 1869 – June 2, 1934) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931, until his death on June 2 ...

as an associate justice of the District Court of Appeal, succeeding

Ira F. Thompson Ira Francis Thompson (June 20, 1885 – August 4, 1937) was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California from December 31, 1932, to August 4, 1937. Early years Born on a farm in Crawford County, Wisconsin, to James Franklin Thompson a ...

and serving from 1932 to 1933 and then serving as Presiding Justice of that court from 1933 to 1935.

Federal judicial service

Stephens was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on August 21, 1935, to the

, to a new seat created by 49 Stat. 508. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

on August 23, 1935, and received his commission on August 24, 1935. His service was terminated on June 21, 1937, due to his elevation to the Ninth Circuit. Stephens was nominated by President Roosevelt on June 8, 1937, to the

, to a new seat created by 50 Stat. 64. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 15, 1937, and received his commission on June 18, 1937. He served as Chief Judge from 1957 to 1959 and as a member of the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

from 1957 to 1958. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on January 25, 1961. His service was terminated on January 15, 1965, due to his death.

Family

Stephens's son, Albert Lee Stephens Jr., was also a federal judge in California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Albert Lee Sr. 1874 births 1965 deaths USC Gould School of Law alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers People from Warren County, Indiana Lawyers from Los Angeles Judges of the California Courts of Appeal

Education and career

Federal judicial service

Family

See also

References