A judge on Friday denied a long-shot bid by GOP operatives to have state Attorney General Jerry Brown declared ineligible for office.
In a lawsuit first brought during Brown's campaign last fall, several Republican Party officials claimed that Brown did not meet the qualification that an attorney general be an "uninterrupted, active member" of the State Bar for the five years prior to the primary election for the office. Brown, a Democrat, was admitted to the California State Bar in 1965. But he went on "inactive" status in January 1997 and did not reactivate until May 1, 2003, allowing him to pay lower bar dues.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian ruled that the change in status is "purely ministerial" and that "active status" is not a requirement.