Wiley William Manuel (August 28, 1927–January 5, 1981) was an associate justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

from 1977 to 1981 and the first African American to serve on the high court.

Biography

Manuel was born in Oakland, California, grew up near Ward and Dohr Streets in South Berkeley, and was educated in the public schools. After graduating in 1945 from Berkeley High School he studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Then he attended Hastings College of Law and in 1953 received his LL.B. degree with Order of the Coif honors. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the ''

Hastings Law Journal Hastings Law Journal is the oldest law journal at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. It began in 1949 in San Francisco, California. As of 1997, it is under the umbrella of the O'Brien Center for Scholarly Publications. Th ...

''. Following law school, Manuel worked for 23 years in the California Attorney General's office, rising to chief assistant attorney general in the San Francisco office. In March 1956, then-Deputy Attorney General Manuel announced that municipalities adding fluoride to public drinking water cannot be charged with practicing dentistry. In February 1976, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Manuel to the post of judge of the

Alameda County Superior Court The Alameda County Superior Court, officially the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Alameda County as established by Article VI of the Constitution of California. It functions ...

. On February 12, 1977, Governor Brown elevated Manuel to the Supreme Court. On March 8, 1977, he was approved by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, he was sworn in on March 24, 1977, and took his seat on April 5, 1977. He was the first African American justice of the Supreme Court. Also in 1977, he delivered the keynote address at the first meeting of the California Association of Black Lawyers. Among his notable cases is the criminal prosecution against William and Emily Harris of the Symbionese Liberation Army on charges of kidnapping Patricia Hearst in 1974. In August 1977, Manuel wrote the 6 – 1 majority opinion that the trial court abused its discretion in denying the defendants' request for state-appointed counsel of their choosing. Manuel served for only four years before he died of stomach cancer.

Honors and legacy

In honor of Manuel, there is a non-profit scholarship foundation in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. Manuel, who was known for his dedication to

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

work, has a pro bono award named after him awarded by 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 ...

each year. The Wiley Manuel Courthouse, part of the Alameda County Superior Court, was named after him.

Personal life

In 1948, he married Eleanor M. Williams, and she currently resides in Oakland, California. He died on January 5, 1981. He was survived by his wife and their two children, Yvonne and Gary Manuel.

References

External links

Wiley Manuel Bar Association

Wiley W. Manuel
California Supreme Court Historical Society.
Wiley W. Manuel papers
California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives. Online Archive of California.

California State Courts. Retrieved July 19, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Wiley W. 1927 births 1981 deaths African-American judges African-American lawyers Justices of the Supreme Court of California 20th-century American judges University of California, Hastings College of the Law alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Lawyers from Oakland, California Superior court judges in the United States African-American people in California politics African-American history in Oakland, California American jurists 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American people

Biography

Honors and legacy

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading

External links