Former Chief Justice Ron George of California had a profound effect on the system of justice in California, but his impact was felt far beyond just that state.

In 2002, he was awarded the William Rehnquist Award which is given annually to the state judge who most exemplifies the highest level of judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics.

The Los Angeles Times has a story on a new oral history of Chief Justice George, and begins as follows:

“When Ronald M. George served as chief justice of California, he pleaded annually with legislators for money to run the courts, warning the loss of funds would compromise justice.

But he said he learned that some lawmakers took positions on the budget for purely personal reasons, obsessively discussing their divorces or traffic tickets and punishing the judiciary for rulings they did not like.

“I remember dealing with one state senator who found it impossible … not to bring up his own divorce proceedings and how he thought he’d gotten a raw deal at the hands of his wife and her attorneys and didn’t feel the court system dealt with him fairly,” George said, not naming the elected official.

George’s recollections are contained in an 800-page history, released Wednesday, in which the longtime California judge and leader of its judiciary ruminates about his time on the court.”

The full story can be found here.