Ming Chin
From Ballotpedia
Ming Chin
Prior offices
California Supreme Court
Education
Contact
Ming W. Chin was an associate justice on the seven-member California Supreme Court. He served on the court from 1996 to 2020. He was appointed to the court in 1996 by former Republican Governor Pete Wilson. Chin was retained by voters for additional twelve-year terms in November 1998 and November 2010.[1] Chin retired from the court on August 31, 2020.[2] Click here for more information on the process for selecting Chin's replacement.
Prior to assuming his seat on the state supreme court, Chin served on the California First District Court of Appeals and the Alameda County Superior Court.[3]
Education
Chin earned his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of San Francisco in 1964. He earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco in 1967.[1]
Military service
After graduating from law school, Chin served for two years in the United States Army and another two years in the Army Reserve.[1]
Career
Following his admission to the bar in 1970, Chin served three years as a deputy district attorney for Alameda County. In 1973, Chin joined the law firm of Aiken, Kramer & Cummings, Inc. as the head of the trial department. He was then appointed to the Alameda County Superior Court by former Republican Governor George Deukmejian on January 6, 1988. Chin was then appointed to the First District Court of Appeal, Division Three, again by Governor Deukmejian on August 7, 1990, to serve as an associate justice. Only four years into his 12-year term, former Republican Governor Pete Wilson appointed him as presiding judge of that court in 1994. Wilson then appointed Chin to the California Supreme Court in 1996.[1]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2010: Lifetime Achievement Award, Orange County Asian American Bar Association
- 2009: Jurist of the Year Award, Judicial Council of California
- 2008: Saint Thomas More Award, St. Thomas More Society of San Francisco
- 2007: Legal Impact Award, Asian Law Alliance
- 2006: Commitment to Community Award, Asian Pacific Bar Association of Silicon Valley
- 2005: Distinguished Faculty Service, Judicial Council of California, Education Division
- 2004: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Award, United States Attorney
- 1999: Trailblazer Award, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- 1998: Citizen of the Year Award, Chinese Americans United for Self Empowerment
- 1998: Public Service & Government Leadership Award, Asian Business Association
- 1997: Honoree for Service in the Field of Law, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association & Chinese Women's Association of America
- 1997: Legal Impact Award, Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California
- 1997: Learned Hand Award, American Jewish Committee, San Francisco Bay Chapter
- 1996: St. Thomas More Award, University of San Francisco School of Law
- 1993: Alumnus of the Year, University of San Francisco School of Law
- 1989: Outstanding Judge of the Year, Southern Alameda County Bar Association
- 1988: Alumnus of the Year, University of San Francisco
- 1985: Distinguished Service Award, University of San Francisco Alumni Association
- 1969: Commendation Medal, United States Army
- 1969: Bronze Star, United States Army
- 1964: McQuade Award for Journalism, University of San Francisco[1]
Associations
Chin has been a member of a number of associations, including:
- Vice-Chair, Judicial Council of California
- Member, Commonwealth Club of California Program Committee
- Board of Governors, Commonwealth Club of California
- Chair, Judicial Council of California, California Commission for Impartial Courts
- Chair, Judicial Council of California, Science and the Law Steering Committee
- Chair, Judicial Council of California, Court Technology Advisory Committee
- President, Commonwealth Club of California
- Chairman, Commonwealth Club of California, Executive Committee
- Chairman, Commonwealth Club of California, Program Committee
- Chairman, University of San Francisco Academic Affairs Committee
- Member, Judicial Council of California, Appellate Advisory Committee
- Member, State Bar of California, Executive Committee of the State Bar Court
- Member, Judicial Council of California, Advisory Committee on Racial and Ethnic Bias
- Member, San Francisco District Attorney's Commission on Hate Crimes
- Adjunct Professor of Law, University of San Francisco
- Member, University of San Francisco Academic Affairs Committee
- Member, California Judges Association
- President, Alameda County Bar Association
- Member, University of San Francisco Executive Committee
- Vice-president, Alameda County Bar Association
- Member, University of San Francisco Board of Trustees
- Board of Directors, First District Agricultural Association
- Member, University of San Francisco Personnel Committee
- Board of Directors, Alameda County Bar Association
- Delegate, State Bar of California, Conference of Delegates
- President, University of San Francisco Alumni Association
- Board of Counselors, University of San Francisco School of Law
- Member, University of San Francisco Alumni Board of Governors
- Referee, State Bar of California, State Bar Court
- Member, Commonwealth Club of California
- Editor, University of San Francisco Yearbook[4][1]
Elections
2010
| California Supreme Court, Associate Justice 2010 General election results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent |
Ming Chin 
|
4,599,967 | 65.5% |
| Against retention | 2,427,421 | 34.5% |
- Click here for 2010 General Election Results from the California Secretary of State.
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Chin received a campaign finance score of -0.97, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.32 that justices received in California.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[5]
See also
External links
- California Courts, "Supreme Court of California"
- California Courts, "Justices of the Supreme Court"
- Goldsea.com, "The Most Brilliant Asian Americans of All Time"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 California Courts, "Associate Justice Ming W. Chin Biography," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ "California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin to Retire," "Courthouse News Service," January 15, 2020
- ↑ California Courts, "Associate Justice Ming W. Chin," accessed February 1, 2019
- ↑ Metropolitan News-Enterprise, "Judicial Council Names Ming Chin Jurist of the Year," July 30, 2009
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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