Arthur Gilbert is more like a celebrity, maybe even a comedian, than he seems to be the Presiding Justice of the Sixth Division of the California State Court of Appeals in Los Angeles. Perhaps the best way to spell out the nature of Gilbert for you is the fact that he's written a regular humor column for the Los Angeles Daily Journal since 1988. On top of that, he's got a book out that's a collection of his best humor pieces, parts of which appear in a blog he maintains, "Gilbert Submits," with the subtitle "Court of Appeal Justice Arthur Gilbert in a rare display of poor judgment shamelessly posts selected columns he has written for the Daily Journal during the last decade." The guy's hilarious. He's sharp and witty, which is unorthodox for an appellate judge, but no more welcome. I love to see outgoing people, especially old-timers like Gilbert who haven't lost a step, and especially in an environment as droll and foreboding as the court of law. He could probably write a pretty mean script. So, it doesn't surprise me to find out that he majored in English Literature as an undergraduate. Gilbert's considered the poet laureate, if you will, of the California Appellate Courts. He's written some of the most eloquent, whiplash opinions you're ever going to find, and he injects his personality into his work. Speaking of, Gilbert's a Democrat, one of the most liberal of the Appellate Court justices. Still, that isn't meant as a detractor at all. In the late '90s, Gilbert was the only Democratic judge recommended to be retained by Republican party officials, and his decisions are no more reversed by the state Supreme Court than any other of his colleagues. For some insight into his decisions, Gilbert once ruled that a 15-year-old boy who impregnated an adult woman would be held responsible for child support. I'm sorry, but that's just funny. And I think that example shows that people like Gilbert just have a way of attracting the weird, and that's what helps make him the person he is. If you find yourself screwed by one of Gilbert's decisions in the Los Angeles Court of Appeals, at least he's got a good chance of leaving you cracking a grin while you're at it.
Arthur Gilbert is more like a celebrity, maybe even a comedian, than he seems to be the Presiding Justice of the Sixth Division of the California State Court of Appeals in Los Angeles. Perhaps the best way to spell out the nature of Gilbert for you is the fact that he's written a regular humor column for the Los Angeles Daily Journal since 1988. On top of that, he's got a book out that's a collection of his best humor pieces, parts of which appear in a blog he maintains, "Gilbert Submits," with the subtitle "Court of Appeal Justice Arthur Gilbert in a rare display of poor judgment shamelessly posts selected columns he has written for the Daily Journal during the last decade." The guy's hilarious. He's sharp and witty, which is unorthodox for an appellate judge, but no more welcome. I love to see outgoing people, especially old-timers like Gilbert who haven't lost a step, and especially in an environment as droll and foreboding as the court of law. He could probably write a pretty mean script. So, it doesn't surprise me to find out that he majored in English Literature as an undergraduate. Gilbert's considered the poet laureate, if you will, of the California Appellate Courts. He's written some of the most eloquent, whiplash opinions you're ever going to find, and he injects his personality into his work. Speaking of, Gilbert's a Democrat, one of the most liberal of the Appellate Court justices. Still, that isn't meant as a detractor at all. In the late '90s, Gilbert was the only Democratic judge recommended to be retained by Republican party officials, and his decisions are no more reversed by the state Supreme Court than any other of his colleagues. For some insight into his decisions, Gilbert once ruled that a 15-year-old boy who impregnated an adult woman would be held responsible for child support. I'm sorry, but that's just funny. And I think that example shows that people like Gilbert just have a way of attracting the weird, and that's what helps make him the person he is. If you find yourself screwed by one of Gilbert's decisions in the Los Angeles Court of Appeals, at least he's got a good chance of leaving you cracking a grin while you're at it.