Justice Stanley Mosk

This is the first biography of Stanley Mosk (1912-2001), iconic protector of civil rights and civil liberties during his 37 years as a justice of the Supreme Court of California (1964 to 2001). It recounts Mosk's previously unexplored pre-Court years where he quickly rose as a leader among Los Angeles reformers, becoming the executive secretary of California governor Culbert Olson and then gaining wide popularity during his 16 years as a superior court judge. Mosk's unprecedented 1958 election and service as state attorney general soon won national attention and the promise of likely election in 1964 to the U.S. Senate, but an unexpected aborted campaign augured a new course in American history. The whole book frames Mosk's Supreme Court years and the landmark cases where his opinions or biting dissents continue to resonate. It is a singular and timely portrait of the dynamic interplay of law, politics, and justice in America.