Malcolm M. Lucas

Malcolm M. Lucas was appointed Chief Justice following an unprecedented rejection of three sitting Supreme Court justices by the electorate in 1986. He took over a divided court that was the subject of much criticism. “The more unified our voice, the more effective we will be,” Chief Justice Lucas said as he set about bringing order and efficiency to a judicial system challenged by underfunding and overload. He led the courts through the implementation of the Trial Court Delay Reduction Act, advocated for state funding of all the state’s courts, and restructured the Judicial Council to make it increasingly assume the role of central planner and advocate for the courts.

Along with revitalizing the Judicial Council, he renewed interaction and cooperation between the judiciary and the Legislature to solve financial and structural problems. To prepare the courts for the challenges of the future, he organized and chaired the Conference on the State of the California Judiciary in the Year 2020.

“I hope I have left the system a better place than when I entered it,” Chief Justice Lucas said in his 1995 State of the Judiciary address. “I hope each of you will aspire to do the same.”