Justice Brown Has Significant Judicial Experience. "Since May 2, 1996, Janice Brown has been an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. From November 4, 1994, she was an Associate Justice of the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento." (California Courts Website, www.courtinfo.ca.gov, Accessed 4/19/05)
Prior To Her Service On The Bench, Brown Was A Legal Advisor To Governor Pete Wilson. "From January 7, 1991, to November 1994, Ms. Brown served as Legal Affairs Secretary to Governor Pete Wilson. The job included diverse duties, ranging from analysis of administration policy, court decisions, and pending legislation to advice on clemency and extradition questions. The Legal Affairs Office monitored all significant state litigation and had general responsibility for supervising departmental counsel and acting as legal liaison between the Governor's office and executive departments." (California Courts Website, www.courtinfo.ca.gov, Accessed 4/19/05)
Before Her Work In The Governor's Office, Brown Accumulated Extensive Work Experience, Both In The Public And In The Private Sector. "Prior to joining Governor Wilson's senior staff, Brown was an associate at Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor, a government and political law firm. Before joining the firm in January 1990, Brown served for two and a half years as Deputy Secretary and General Counsel for the state's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, working primarily with business regulatory departments. Brown came to BT&H after eight years (1979-1987) in the Attorney General's Office, where she worked in both the criminal and civil divisions." (California Courts Website, www.courtinfo.ca.gov, Accessed 4/19/05)
"From 1977 To 1979, Brown Worked For The Legislative Counsel." (California Courts Website, www.courtinfo.ca.gov, Accessed 4/19/05)
- "Founded in 1913, the Office of Legislative Counsel is a nonpartisan public agency that drafts legislative proposals, prepares legal opinions, and provides other confidential legal services to the Legislature and others." (California Legislative Counsel Website, www.legislativecounsel.ca.gov, Accessed 4/18/05)
Janice Rogers Brown Is "A California Supreme Court Justice, The Daughter Of A Sharecropper, An African-American And A Conservative." (Kathy Kiely, "Senate On Brink Of 'Nuclear' Filibuster War," USA Today, 4/15/05)
"As A Pioneer In Her Field, Brown Holds An Optimistic, Though Balanced, View Of Our Nation." "As a pioneer in her field, Brown holds an optimistic, though balanced, view of our nation. 'Our country has unique problems,' she says. 'We don't do things perfectly, sometimes we don't even do them well. But we are at least trying to accommodate political equality. Our peculiar history of slavery forces us to deal with issues of inequality. However poorly we may have done it, we have been able to maintain a stable democracy, and that is the great legacy of America.'" (Gwen Daye Richardson, Op-Ed, "California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown," Headway/ Ethnic News Watch, 8/31/98)
Janice Rogers Brown Was One Of Four California Supreme Court Justices On Ballot In November 1998. She received ringing endorsements:
- Los Angeles Times Endorsed Rogers Brown's Retention In 1998, Saying She "Served California With Distinction" And Calling Her "Well Qualified." "We urge a yes vote on the four Supreme Court justices on the Nov. 3 ballot Š Each has more than met the criteria for retention. The men and women listed below are well qualified and have served California with distinction. They deserve a yes vote. Š Associate Justice Janice Rogers Brown Š" (Editorial, "Election '98; Confirmation Of Judges," Los Angeles Times, 10/19/98)
- San Francisco Chronicle Endorsed Brown In 1998, Citing Her "Sound Decision Making," "Diligence And Integrity." "Californians have a chance to cast a vote for an independent judiciary on November 3 by retaining four Supreme Court justices who, while sometimes coming to very different conclusions, have all demonstrated a commitment to sound decision making. One of the judges on the ballot, 86-year-old Stanley Mosk, is regarded as the most liberal on the court. Another, 49-year-old Janice Rogers Brown, is perhaps the most conservative. Š The judiciary's job is to make sure that laws are applied fairly. George, Chin, Mosk and Brown have approached this duty with diligence and integrity. They should be retained." (Editorial, "Vote For Independent Court," The San Francisco Chronicle, 9/27/98)
- Riverside Press Enterprise Endorsed Rogers Brown In 1998, Citing "Integrity" Of The Court. "In fact, all four justices deserve a Yes vote. We're not going to agree with each and every ruling they make; it would be truly scary if everyone saw everything so identically. But we have no doubt at all about the integrity of this court and are absolutely convinced that a judiciary as free as humanly possible from political pressures is a bedrock of justice. Of course, voters will approach different judges with differing degrees of enthusiasm, but none of them - not one of them - has done anything to warrant dismissal from the court." (Editorial, [Riverside, CA] Press Enterprise, 10/15/98)
| Justice: | For: | Against: |
| Janice Rogers Brown | 75.91% | 24.09% |
| Ronald M. George | 75.49% | 24.51% |
| Stanley Mosk | 70.51% | 29.49% |
| Ming William Chin | 69.26% | 30.74% |
(California Secretary Of State Website, http://vote98.ss.ca.gov/Final/sov/SOV49-51.pdf, Accessed 4/19/05)
California Papers Believe Bush's Nomination Of Rogers Brown Should Be Considered:
San Francisco Chronicle Said Rogers Brown Was "Thoughtful" And Deserved A "Careful But Evenhanded" Nomination Review. "In her time on the California Supreme Court, [Justice Janice Rogers] Brown, 54, has proved to be thoughtful and a prolific writer of opinions. She supports limits on abortion rights, corporate liability and the death penalty and opposes gun control and affirmative action. Š Senators should give her nomination a careful but evenhanded review." (Editorial, "Mirrored On The Bench," The San Francisco Chronicle, 8/1/03)
The Orange County Register Compared Rogers Brown's Views On Limited Government "Refreshing," And Compared Her Views To The Founding Fathers':
- "Justice Janice Rogers Brown's first encounter with the Senate Judiciary Committee this week resembled a heresy trial -- heresy in this case being someone who questions a too big, too intrusive government. Ms. Brown is associate justice of the California Supreme Court, nominated by President Bush to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She does not worship government, as indicated by speeches she has given. This deviation from orthodoxy quite obviously disturbed senatorial keepers of the faith such as Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Most Americans should find it refreshing." (Editorial, "Justice Brown Is The Latest Target," The Orange County Register, 10/24/03)
- "The Brown quote that has them buzzing comes from a speech delivered three years ago at a University of Chicago Federalist Society meeting: 'Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates, and our ability to control our destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege, war in the streets, unapologetic expropriation of property, the precipitous decline of the rule of law, the rapid rise of corruption, the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit.' Few of America's founders could have said it better. The U.S. Constitution is based on precisely the understanding that government should be limited because, as George Washington put it, it is 'like fire ... a dangerous servant and a fearful master.' Š In a truly constitutionally oriented society every judge would share Janice Rogers Brown's skepticism." (Editorial, "Justice Brown Is The Latest Target," The Orange County Register, 10/24/03)
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