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Allen E. Broussard Papers MSS.1103
MSS.1103  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Title: Allen E. Broussard papers
    Identifier/Call Number: MSS.1103
    Contributing Institution: California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives
    Language of Material: English
    Physical Description: 13.9 Cubic feet (7 cartons, 12 flat storage boxes, 1 map case drawer)
    Date (inclusive): 1971-1996
    Abstract: Professional papers of the Honorable Allen E. Broussard, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court from 1981 to 1991. Materials date from 1971 through 1996.
    creator: Broussard, Allen E., 1929-1996

    Access

    The Allen E. Broussard papers are open to researchers upon approval of written request. Requests should be submitted to: California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives, 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Room 4617, San Francisco, CA, 94102-7013, or by e-mail to archives@jud.ca.gov.

    Conditions Governing Use

    Use must comply with all applicable California and federal statutes and regulations, and with such rules and procedures as the California Judicial Center Library may adopt and promulgate. The security and safety of material in the collections must be assured at all times. Any use of materials or other behavior that creates risk of damage or loss to materials in the collections is prohibited and will result in immediate withdrawal of permission to use the collections. Permission to copy materials in Special Collections and Archives must be requested in advance and in writing.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Allen E. Broussard papers, MSS.1103, California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Received from Alameda County Commissioner Charles Smiley on November 16, 2011 and December 19, 2011.

    Biographical Note

    Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana on April 13, 1929, Allen E. Broussard came to California with his family while in his teens. He attended San Francisco City College and served as President of the College’s chapter of the NAACP. The appointments of the first African Americans to be employed as a high school teacher and as a police officer in San Francisco are attributed to his efforts while still a student. He began his legal education in 1950, one of three African Americans to enroll at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). An editor of the California Law Review, he graduated in the top 15 percent of his class.
    After graduation in 1953, he served as a research attorney for Presiding Justice Raymond Peters, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division One. After two years of service in the U.S. Army, he joined the law firm of Wilson, Metoyer & Sweeney in 1959 as an associate, becoming a partner in the firm in 1961.
    Governor Edmund G. Brown, Sr. appointed him to the Oakland-Piedmont Municipal Court in 1964. There he served as Presiding Judge from 1968 until 1975, when Governor Brown appointed him to the Alameda County Superior Court. He was elevated to the California Supreme Court by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. in 1981. It is said that Justice Broussard was the author of more majority opinions than any other member of the court during the decade of his service on the California Supreme Court.
    Justice Broussard was the first African American president of the California Council of Judges (later renamed the California Judges Association). He also served as chairman of the board of the Center for Judicial Education and Research and as a member of the California Commission on Judicial Performance, the California Judicial Council and the Board of Governors of the National Judicial College. Justice Broussard retired from the California Supreme Court in 1991 and returned to private practice and active support of community organizations. He died on November 5, 1996.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The Allen E. Broussard papers consist of 13.90 cubic feet of materials. Awards, certificates, citations and resolutions honoring Justice Broussard comprise the bulk of the collection. A small number of photographs and mounted photographic enlargements are included in the collection as well. Materials date from 1971 to 1996.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Broussard, Allen E., 1929-1996
    California. Supreme Court.
    Justice, Administration of--California
    Law--California