Rick Distaso
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Joseph Richard "Rick" Distaso (born January 25, 1967, in
Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...
) is an American lawyer and judge. He was the
Stanislaus County, California Stanislaus County ( ; ) is a County (United States), county located in the San Joaquin Valley of the U.S. state of California. As of 2023, its estimated population is 564,404. The county seat is Modesto, California, Modesto. Stanislaus County ...
, senior deputy district attorney who served as the lead
prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...
in the case against Scott Peterson, charged with and later convicted of murdering his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn child Conner Peterson in 2002. Laci was eight months pregnant with Conner at the time of the murder.Skoloff, Brian (20 November 2004)
In Peterson Trial, Substance Won Out Over Flash
''
The Day (New London) ''The Day'', formerly known as ''The New London Day'', is a local newspaper based in New London, Connecticut, published by The Day Publishing Company. The newspaper has won Newspaper of the Year and the Best Daily Newspaper Award from the New Eng ...
'', Retrieved November 19, 2010
Distaso attended
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
as an undergraduate, and attended
Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit university in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Academics Degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (JD); Master of Science in Legal ...
for his law education. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1992.(31 May 2004)
Legal styles collide in Redwood City / PROSECUTION: Is the charisma gap a benefit or burden?
''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'', Retrieved November 19, 2010
After graduation from law school, he was a lawyer for the
Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army The Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army, also known as the U.S. Army JAG Corps, is the legal arm of the United States Army. It is composed of Army Officer (armed forces), officers who are also lawyers ("judge advocates"), wh ...
through 1996, with the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, and then joined the Stanislaus County district attorney's office. In 2005, Distaso was appointed a
Stanislaus County Stanislaus County ( ; ) is a county located in the San Joaquin Valley of the U.S. state of California. As of 2023, its estimated population is 564,404. The county seat is Modesto. Stanislaus County makes up the Modesto metropolitan statistic ...
Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
judge by
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
. Distaso was deployed to Afghanistan for a tour in the
Army Reserves A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional ma ...
. In 2008, he was deployed to Afghanistan where he served as a Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander of th
75th Legal Operations Detachment
in the U.S. Army Reserves JAG Corps.The Honorable Joseph R. Distaso
/ref> As of December 2019, he is a judge for the Army's 4th Judicial Circuit.Rocket List
/ref>


References

1967 births California state court judges Loyola Law School alumni Living people {{California-state-judge-stub