Margaret Mary Morrow (born 1950) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Early life and education

Born in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, Nebraska, Morrow received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree ''cum laude'' from Bryn Mawr College in 1971. She received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1974.

Legal career

Morrow practiced law in Los Angeles, California from 1974 to 1998. She was counsel of record in several precedent-setting cases involving employment law, bad faith, insurance coverage and arbitration. In these years representing clients in civil law and

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

, she represented a wide range of corporate and business involvements during both trial and appellate matters. From 1974 to 1987, she practiced with Kadison, Pfaelzer, Woodard, Quinn & Rossi. In 1987, she and others formed the law firm of Quinn, Kully and Morrow, that ultimately merged with the international law firm offices of Arnold & Porter in 1996. While an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Arnold & Porter, she specialized in Appellate Court litigation. In 1988 she served as president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She was elected President of the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

, then served as its first woman President from 1993 to 1994. In January 2016, Morrow joined the Los Angeles-based public interest law firm, Public Counsel, as its President and CEO.

Federal judicial career

Morrow was nominated to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by President Bill Clinton on January 7, 1997, to a seat vacated by

Richard Arthur Gadbois Jr. Richard Arthur Gadbois Jr. (June 18, 1932 – October 2, 1996) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Education and career Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gadbois received an A ...

She was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 11, 1998, and received her commission on February 24, 1998. She assumed senior status on October 29, 2015. She retired from active service on January 6, 2016.

Significant decisions

* ''Dr. Sam Chachoua vs. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center'' * ''Vidal Sassoon vs. Procter & Gamble, Co.'' * ''Martin D Fern vs. Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.'' * ''Valueclick Inc vs. Revenue Science, Inc.'' * ''United States vs. Reed Slatkin-Daniel W. Jacobs, et al.'' * ''Marilyn Monroe LLC (MMLLC) and CMG Worldwide Inc. (CMG) vs. Milton H. Greene and Tom Kelley Studios''

Achievements

Morrow has served on the boards of numerous professional associations, including the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. She is a past officer of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates and Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants; and has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of

Public Counsel Public Counsel is the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the United States. Initially called the Beverly Hills Bar Association Law Foundation, it was the first bar-sponsored public interest law firm in the United States. Background ...

, a member of the Board of Councilors of the University of Southern California Law Center, a member of the

advisory board An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

of the Hariett Buhai Center for Family Law, and a member of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of the Inner City Law Center. She was a member of the Commission to Draft an Ethics Code for

Los Angeles City Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Government and the Public Commission on

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

Government from 1989 to 1990. She has received numerous awards, including the

Bernard E. Witkin Bernard Ernest Witkin (May 22, 1904 – December 23, 1995) was an American lawyer and author. He is best remembered as the founder of the California law treatise, ''Summary of California Law'', which came to be known as "Witkin" and gave rise t ...

Amicus Curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

Award from the Judicial Council of California; the Shattuck-Price Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association; the

Ernestine Stahlhut Ernestine is a feminine given name. Ernest is the male counterpart of this name. Notable people with the name include: * Ernestine Anderson (1928–2016), American jazz and blues singer * Ernestine Bayer (1909–2006), American athlete * Ernestine ...

Award from the Women Lawyers’ Association of Los Angeles, and the Maynard Toll Award from the

Legal Aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

Foundation of Los Angeles. Currently she is a member of the Bryn Mawr College

Board of Trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

References

External links

*
President of Los Angeles County Bar Association''Los Angeles Times'' editorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrow, Margaret Mary 1950 births Living people Bryn Mawr College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Central District of California People from Columbus, Nebraska United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton Arnold & Porter people 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American judges