Allen E. Broussard Papers MSS.1103
Finding aid prepared by Martha Noble and Noah Pollaczek, California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives
California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and Archives
April 2013
455 Golden Gate Avenue
Room 4617
San Francisco, CA, 94102-7013
415-865-7178
archives@jud.ca.gov
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
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.
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.
[Identification of item], Allen E. Broussard papers, MSS.1103, California Judicial Center Library, Special Collections and
Archives.
Received from Alameda County Commissioner Charles Smiley on November 16, 2011 and December 19, 2011.
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