Ming William Chin (born August 31, 1942) is an American attorney and former Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

, serving from March 1, 1996 to August 31, 2020.

Biography

Chin was born and raised in Klamath Falls, Oregon. His family moved to San Jose, California, and he attended

Bellarmine College Preparatory Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. In 2020, Niche ...

, graduating in 1960. Chin then received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of San Francisco in 1964. Subsequently, he studied at the

University of San Francisco School of Law The University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) is the law school of the private University of San Francisco. Established in 1912, it received American Bar Association accreditation in 1935 and joined the Association of American Law S ...

, and obtained a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1967. After graduating, he was commissioned a Captain in the United States Army, and in 1969 was awarded both a

Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

and Bronze Star for his meritorious service in the Vietnam War. After Chin's discharge, he practiced for three years as a deputy district attorney for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, and was promoted to felony trial deputy. In 1973, Chin entered private practice with Aiken, Kramer & Cummings, and focused on litigation. He is well-known among California employment lawyers as one of the four current authors of the Rutter Group practice guide on employment litigation.

Judicial career

In 1988, Chin was appointed as a Judge of the Alameda County Superior Court. Then, in August 1990, Governor George Deukmejian elevated Chin to the position of Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal, First District. On August 17, 1994, Governor Pete Wilson appointed Chin as the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, First District, Division Three, beginning January 2, 1995. In November 1994, he was elected to a 12-year term. On January 25, 1996, Governor Wilson appointed Chin as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court. Chin was confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments and sworn in on March 1, 1996. He was retained by the electorate in 1998 and 2010. On December 16, 2014, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye named Chin to the California Judicial Council for a two-year term. In his first decade on the court, he authored the most majority opinions at the Supreme Court. Among Chin's notable cases is his 2008 majority opinion in ''Silicon Valley Taxpayers' Assn., Inc. v. Santa Clara County Open Space Authority'', a landmark California separation of powers case regarding Proposition 218. On August 31, 2020, Chin retired from the California Supreme Court. On October 5, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his seat would be filled by Martin Jenkins.

Civic activities

Chin was elected president of the Alameda County Bar Association. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of San Francisco.

Honors and awards

Chin has received a series of honors from his ''alma mater''. In 1988, he was selected as the USF Alumnus of the Year. In 1993, he was named USF Law School Alumnus of the Year. Finally, in 1996 USF Law School presented him with the St. Thomas More Award. Chin was also awarded honorary LL.D. degrees in 1996 by Southwestern Law School, in 2001 by California Western School of Law, and in 2002 by Pepperdine University School of Law.

Personal life

In 1971, Chin wed Carol Joe, a pharmacist, with whom he has two children: Jennifer (b. 1974) and Jason (b. 1976). Chin is of Chinese descent.

References

Selected publications

* * (Hein paid subscription
Lexis-Nexis
paid subscription)

Videos

External links

California State Courts.
Profile
Bloomberg.com.
Court opinions authored by Ming Chin
Courtlistener.com

California State Courts.

California Court of Appeal, First District. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chin, Ming 1942 births Living people Justices of the Supreme Court of California Judges of the California Courts of Appeal Superior court judges in the United States University of San Francisco alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army officers American jurists of Chinese descent Politicians from Klamath Falls, Oregon Lawyers from San Francisco Lawyers from Oakland, California American legal writers California Republicans 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges California politicians of Chinese descent Military personnel from California Military personnel from Oregon