17 Facts About Stanley Mosk

Stanley Mosk served as Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court for 37 years, the longest tenure in that court's history.

Stanley Mosk's family moved to Rockford, Illinois when he was three years old.

At the time, it was possible to use the last year of a bachelor's degree as the first year of a three-year law degree program, so while living with his parents, Stanley Mosk was able to obtain a law degree in two years.

Stanley Mosk opened a solo practice, sharing an office with four other separate solo practices.

In 1938, Olson was elected Governor of California and Stanley Mosk was hired as Olson's executive secretary the next year.

At the age of 31, Stanley Mosk became the youngest judge in the state.

Stanley Mosk faced opposition at his first retention election but prevailed.

In March 1945, Stanley Mosk left the Superior Court to volunteer for service in the US Army during World War II as a private, but spent most of the war in a transportation unit in New Orleans and never went abroad.

In 1958, Stanley Mosk was elected Attorney General of California by the largest margin of any contested election in the state that year.

Stanley Mosk established the Attorney General's Civil Rights Division and successfully fought to force the Professional Golfers' Association of America to amend its bylaws denying access to minority golfers.

Stanley Mosk established Consumer Rights, Constitutional Rights, and Antitrust divisions.

Stanley Mosk served as the California National Committeeman to the Democratic National Committee and was an early supporter of John F Kennedy for president.

Stanley Mosk was retained by the electorate in 1964 and re-elected to three twelve-year terms beginning in 1974.

For example, in Bakke v Regents of the University of California, Mosk ruled that the minority admissions program at the University of California, Davis violated the equal protection clause of the US Constitution.

The US Supreme Court agreed with Stanley Mosk in rejecting racial quotas.

In November 1998, at age 86, Stanley Mosk was retained by the electorate for another twelve-year term.

Stanley Mosk believed he was obligated to enforce laws properly enacted by the people of the state of California, even though he personally did not approve of such laws.