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Rep. Anna G. Eshoo

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Chief Justice of California Supreme Court, Ronald Marc George on the occasion of his 70th birthday and to thank him for his years of extraordinary public service to the people of California and beyond.

Chief Justice George is married to his beloved wife, Barbara and they have three children . . . Eric, Andrew and Chris, and two grandchildren, Charlotte and Maya, daughters of Chris and his wife Rebecca.

Born on March 11, 1940, Chief Justice George received his A.B. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1961, and a J.D. from Stanford University in 1964. Currently serving as the 27th Chief Justice of California, he heads the Supreme Court of California as well as the Judicial Council of California.

Chief Justice George has had a long and distinguished career. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of California in 1991 by Governor Pete Wilson after serving on the bench in the Los Angeles Municipal Court, the Los Angeles Superior Court and on the Court of Appeals. He also served as Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice where he prepared six oral arguments and briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Chief Justice George served as the President of the Conference of Chief Justices, Chair of the Board of Directors in the National Center for State Courts, President of the California Judges Association, as well as many other activities and associations outside his work on the bench. He has been honored by numerous organizations including the Consumer Attorneys' Association of Los Angeles' Roger J. Traynor Memorial Award in 2009, the Bar Association of San Francisco's Champion of Justice Award in 2008, the American Bar Association's John Marshall Award in 2007 and the Legal Writing Institute's Golden Pen Award in 2007. His accomplishments and recognitions are simply too many to name. In addition to his judicial commitments and volunteer activities, he takes time to lecture at numerous judicial education programs, law schools and events around the country to share his experience and legal expertise.

Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in offering our best wishes to Chief Justice Ronald George on the very special occasion of his 70th birthday, and extend our gratitude for his integrity, his love of the Constitution and his exemplary leadership which strengthens California's judicial system and our nation as well.