UCLA’s law school is reporting that former Supreme Court Justice John Arguelles died on April 10 at age 94. Arguelles, the court’s second Latino justice, served for two years, starting in 1987.

Arguelles’s death comes just weeks after a UCLA event honoring him. (See here.) Video of the event is here and an interview with the former justice is here.
Arguelles was appointed to the Municipal Court by Governor Pat Brown, to the Superior Court by Governor Ronald Reagan, and by Governor George Deukmejian to the Court of Appeal and then to the Supreme Court. He and two others were elevated to the high court to replace the three justices who were ousted by the voters at the 1986 retention election. He was the only Democrat of the three appointees.
When he was appointed to the Supreme Court, the Los Angeles Times said he was “widely regarded as a judicial conservative who tries to strictly conform to legal precedents, rather than blaze new trails that might better suit his personal beliefs.”
After his retirement in 1989, Arguelles was of counsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and he served as an arbitrator and mediator.
He led a commission on the language needs of non-English speaking persons in the California legal system. Arguelles also was vice-chair of the famous Christopher Commission that examined the Los Angeles Police Department after the Rodney King beating. He and Commission chair Warren Christopher were reportedly “struck to learn how clearly race and economic standing govern the way certain officers treat civilians.”
[April 27 update: a Daily Journal obituary by Wisdom Howell is here.]
Sad news. He sounded so strong on the video that was played during the UCLA event. He was a good man with a strong sense of justice and fairness. I treasured the all-too-short time I had the privilege of working with him.
Norm Vance
Staff of Arguelles, J. (1987 to 1989)
JOHN J ARGUELLES AND HIS
WIFE LIVED IN THE HOUSING AREA IN MONTEBELLO. I AM HISPANC AND HE AND HIS WIFE MARTHA URGED ME TO GO TO THE INTERPRETERS OFFICE IN LOS ANGELES .AT THE TIME THERE
WERE NO RULES AS TO WHO COULD INTERPRETIN A COURT OF LA. I WEST TO EAST LA AND WAS IMMEDIATELY HIRE . AT THE TIME THERE WERE ONLY FIVE INTERPRETERS. I WAS ENCOURAGED TO TEACH SPANISH SPEAKERS THAT WERE FLUENT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH TO LEARN HOW TO INTERPRET .IN THE CALIFORNIA COURT.S. MARTHA AND JOHN LIVED AROUND THE CORNER . MY MOTHER ELISA CORTES ALSO KNEW MARTH AND JOHN. THEY BECAME FRIENDS AND
MY MOTHER, ELISA USED TO BABYSIT JOHN AND MARTHA’S CHILDREN. BOTH JOHN AND MARTHA URGED ME TO APPLY TO THE LA> COURT SYSTEM AS I WAS BILINGUAL AND TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. I WAS IN MY EARLY 20’S AND HE AND MARTHA URGED ME TO ENROLL IN LAW SCHOOL. I DID NOT FINISH LAW SCHOOL, BUT I DID GO ON TO TEACH ENGLISH AS A LANGUAGE SECOND LANGUAGE AND I ALSO TAUGHT SPANISH AT MONTEBELLO HIGH SCHOOL..
THE LAST TIME I SAW MARTHA AND JACK AFTER HE RETIRED AND MOVED TO ORANGE COUNTY. MARTHA AND JACK WOULD COME TO MY NEW YEARS’ EVE PARTY. I, am 84 years old and have lived in La Jolla for more than three decades and have often thought of my good friends Martha and John., especially when I remember Martha and Jack coming to my New Year’s party