Marvin Ray Baxter is an Associate Justice

Associate Justice

Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...

 of the Supreme Court of California

Supreme Court of California

The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...

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Background

Baxter was born in Fowler, California

Fowler, California

Fowler is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. It is located within the San Joaquin Valley. It has a strong agricultural community, with lush grape vineyards and expansive farmland. Fowler is located southeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 308 feet...

, and was raised on his family's farm. He graduated from Fowler High School. He attended California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...

, earning a degree in economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

. Upon graduation, he became a Coro Foundation Fellow in Public Affairs (1962-63), and attended the UC Hastings College of the Law, from which he earned his law degree

Law degree

A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...

 in 1966.

He began his legal career as a Fresno County

Fresno County, California

Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...

 deputy district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 in 1967. Subsequently, he entered private practice in civil law

Civil law (common law)

Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...

 in 1969. It was during this time he was an associate and then a partner in the Fresno Law firm of Andrews, Andrews, Thaxter, Jones and Baxter where he practiced civil law.

In 1983, he moved back into public service as Appointments Secretary, advising Governor George Deukmejian

George Deukmejian

Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...

 on judicial and executive appointments.

In December 1988, Governor Deukmejian appointed him to be an Associate Justice of 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...

 for the fifth district. In January 1991, he was appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of California. He was retained by the electorate in November 2002, with 71.5% percent of the vote.

Judicial philosophy

Baxter prefers not to describe his own judicial philosophy, but a 1993 article in the Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

described him as having an "emerging reputation among court observers as cautious, conservative and competent". The article also described a split between observers who considered him a solid part of the Court's conservative majority (led by Malcolm M. Lucas

Malcolm M. Lucas

Malcolm Millar Lucas was the 26th Chief Justice of California. He was appointed to the position after his predecessor, Rose Bird, was removed by the electorate in 1986 for reasons including her staunch opposition to capital punishment, which was reflected in her voting for reversal in all 61...

), and others who considered him harder to pin down and praised the legal reasoning of several of his decisions. In 2008, he was part of the dissenting minority in 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...

, a 4-3 decision legalizing same-sex marriage in California

Same-sex marriage in California

The status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so...

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