Carol Corrigan
Encyclopedia
Carol Ann Corrigan is an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court.
city of Stockton, California
. She graduated from Saint Mary's High School in Stockton, and attended the then women-only Catholic Holy Names College in Oakland
. After a brief stint in a graduate program in psychology, Corrigan enrolled at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law
, where she served as Notes and Comments Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. She received her Juris Doctor
degree in 1975 and was admitted to the California bar the same year.
Corrigan worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California
from 1975, and as a senior prosecutor from 1985 until 1987 when she was appointed to the county's Municipal Court. In 1991 she became a Judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County, the state's principal trial court there. In 1994 the Governor Pete Wilson
appointed her as a Justice in the California Court of Appeal
, First District. There, she gained a reputation for legal acumen, serving on a commission that overhauled the state's court rules.
Corrigan is unmarried and has resided in and around Oakland, California
for most of her adult life.
nominated her to the Supreme Court of California, to replace Justice Janice Rogers Brown
. Corrigan was confirmed in this position January 4, 2006.
She was in the dissenting minority in the gay-marriage case, In re Marriage Cases
(2008).
Background
Corrigan, the daughter of a newspaperman, grew up in the San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
city of Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. She graduated from Saint Mary's High School in Stockton, and attended the then women-only Catholic Holy Names College in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. After a brief stint in a graduate program in psychology, Corrigan enrolled at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law
University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a public law school in San Francisco, California, located in the Civic Center neighborhood....
, where she served as Notes and Comments Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. She received her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree in 1975 and was admitted to the California bar the same year.
Corrigan worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
from 1975, and as a senior prosecutor from 1985 until 1987 when she was appointed to the county's Municipal Court. In 1991 she became a Judge of the Superior Court of Alameda County, the state's principal trial court there. In 1994 the Governor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
appointed her as a Justice in the California Court of Appeal
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 into six appellate districts...
, First District. There, she gained a reputation for legal acumen, serving on a commission that overhauled the state's court rules.
Corrigan is unmarried and has resided in and around Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
for most of her adult life.
California Supreme Court
On December 9, 2005, Governor Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
nominated her to the Supreme Court of California, to replace Justice Janice Rogers Brown
Janice Rogers Brown
Janice Rogers Brown is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She previously was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, holding that post from May 2, 1996 until her appointment to the D.C. Circuit.President George W. Bush...
. Corrigan was confirmed in this position January 4, 2006.
She was in the dissenting minority in the gay-marriage case, In re Marriage Cases
In re Marriage Cases
In re Marriage Cases 43 Cal.4th 757 [76 Cal.Rptr.3d 683, 183 P.3d 384], was a California Supreme Court case with the dual holding that "statutes that treat persons differently because of their sexual orientation should be subjected to strict scrutiny" and the existing "California legislative and...
(2008).