Supreme Court of California Justia
Justice Carlos R. Moreno

Justice Carlos R. Moreno was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California on October 18, 2001, following his nomination by Governor Gray Davis.

Justice Moreno began his career as a deputy city attorney with the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, prosecuting criminal and civil consumer protection cases and handling politically sensitive and legislative matters as special counsel to the city attorney. He then joined the firm of Mori & Ota (now known as Kelley, Drye & Warren) in 1979, representing institutional clients in the firm's general commercial litigation practice.

In the fall of 1986, Governor George Deukmejian appointed Justice Moreno to the Municipal Court, Compton Judicial District, where Moreno handled general criminal matters and supervised the court's civil department. In October 1993, Governor Pete Wilson elevated Justice Moreno to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he presided over felony trials in downtown Los Angeles.

Justice Moreno was then nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton and in February 1998, he was unanimously confirmed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by the United States Senate. Moreno served as a federal district court judge for over three years, presiding over a broad range of complex civil and criminal matters.

Justice Moreno has served as President of the Mexican American Bar Association and has been a member of the California Judges Association, the Presiding Judges Association, and the Municipal Court Judges Association of Los Angeles County. He has served on the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School and the Board of Governors of the Association of Yale Alumni. He is a Director of the Arroyo Vista Family Health Center and a former President of the Yale Club of Southern California. In 1997, Moreno received the Criminal Justice Superior Court Judge of the Year Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and in 2003 the Roger J. Traynor Appellate Justice of the Year Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. Justice Moreno is the Chair of the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care.

Retired: March 2011

Details

Position: Justice

Status: Retired

Born: Thursday, November 4, 1948

Recent Opinions

Great Western Shows, Inc. v. County of Los Angeles
Citation: 27 Cal. 4th 853, 44 P.3d 120, 118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 746
Decided: Monday, April 22, 2002

Nordyke v. King
Citation: 27 Cal.4th 875, 44 P.3d 133, 118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 761, 02 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3460, 2002 Daily Journal D.A.R. 4375
Decided: Monday, April 22, 2002

Cadence Design Systems v. Avant! Corp.
Citation: 29 Cal. 4th 215, 57 P.3d 647, 127 Cal. Rptr. 2d 169
Decided: Thursday, November 21, 2002

Christoff v. Nestle USA
Citation: 47 Cal. 4th 468, 213 P.3d 132, 97 Cal. Rptr. 3d 798
Decided: Monday, August 17, 2009

In re Martinez
Citation: 46 Cal. 4th 945, 209 P.3d 908, 95 Cal. Rptr. 3d 570
Decided: Monday, June 29, 2009

Recent Concurring Opinions

Baycol Cases I and II
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 751, 248 P.3d 681, 122 Cal. Rptr. 3d 153
Decided: Monday, February 28, 2011

People v. Hernandez
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 733, 247 P.3d 167, 121 Cal. Rptr. 3d 103
Decided: Monday, February 28, 2011

Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 764, 248 P.3d 1170, 122 Cal. Rptr. 3d 313
Decided: Monday, February 28, 2011

Cal. Farm Bur. v. State Water Res. Control Bd.
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 421, 247 P.3d 112, 121 Cal. Rptr. 3d 37
Decided: Monday, January 31, 2011

People v. Soto
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 229, 245 P.3d 410, 119 Cal. Rptr. 3d 775
Decided: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Recent Dissenting Opinions

People v. Soto
Citation: 51 Cal. 4th 229, 245 P.3d 410, 119 Cal. Rptr. 3d 775
Decided: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Barnett v. Super. Ct.
Citation: 50 Cal. 4th 890, 237 P.3d 980, 114 Cal. Rptr. 3d 576
Decided: Thursday, August 26, 2010

Moore v. Super. Ct.
Citation: 50 Cal. 4th 802, 237 P.3d 530, 114 Cal. Rptr. 3d 199
Decided: Thursday, August 19, 2010

Coral Construction v. S.F.
Citation: 50 Cal. 4th 315, 235 P.3d 947, 113 Cal. Rptr. 3d 279
Decided: Monday, August 2, 2010

Boeken v. Philip Morris
Citation: 48 Cal. 4th 788, 230 P.3d 342, 108 Cal. Rptr. 3d 806
Decided: Thursday, May 13, 2010