SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A long-serving member of the California Supreme Court has announced plans to retire.
The court announced Wednesday that state Justice Kathryn Werdegar will step down Aug. 31. Republican Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Werdegar to the state’s high court in 1994. She turns 81 next month.
Werdegar was part of the 4-3 majority that briefly legalized gay marriage in California before voters passed Proposition 8 barring same-sex marriages. The U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the prohibition.
She previously served as a judge on the state’s appellate court before her elevation to the California Supreme Court. She began her legal career as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil division in 1962 and then served as a research attorney for the state Supreme and appellate courts.
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