DJ profiles 4/1's Justice O'Rourke

Today's DJ profiles 4/1's Justice Terry O'Rourke, who is quoted as noting that "sophisticated business litigation" is being siphoned off away from the courts to ADR, which "skim[s] all the good stuff," leaving the court with criminal appeals and dependency cases. The article calls Justice O'Rourke "an early riser and avid reader ... fabled for his fierce intellect, passion and candor." Known for his "straight talk" and independence, practitioners are quoted as calling him a "first-class judge." The DJ's 2004 profile noted that he was an avid mountain climber at one point; considered himself "unpopular and an outsider"; is "off the chart" intelligent; and quoted him as saying "Intellectual life in American has declined." Both that profile and today's use the phrase "black and white."

His advice to lawyers:

"Nothing is more persuasive than a well-researched, honest and well-articulated brief. Oral argument can in no way replicate that."



"Too smart for his own good"?

Also in today's DJ is Two More Justices on LA Appellate Court to Retire, discussing the impending retirements of Justices Mallano and Suzukawa set for the end of February. For those keeping score at home, this raises the total number of vacancies on the 2d District to six. The articles names the following judges as possible nominees to the open seats: Rita Miller, Richard Rico, John Shepard Wiley Jr., Sanjay Kumar, Edward Ferns, John Segal and Joanne O'Donnell.