Justice Bedsworth joins Judicate West after 27 years of distinguished service on the California Fourth District Court of Appeal. As part of Judicate West’s Appellate Practice Group, he focuses on private appellate consultation, providing sophisticated guidance grounded in his unparalleled judicial experience.
His services include assessing the strengths and weaknesses of potential appeals, reviewing briefs, identifying appellate issues, and conducting practice oral arguments. He is also instrumental in the continued development of Judicate West’s private appellate panel program, giving practitioners greater insight, clarity, and strategic control throughout the appellate process.
The longest-serving justice in the history of the Fourth District, Division 3, Justice Bedsworth wrote 220 published opinions and over 2000 unpublished ones, spanning the full spectrum of civil and criminal law. Before joining the appellate court, he served for a decade on the Orange County Superior Court. He began his career in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, where he served as a trial deputy, appellate attorney, and managing attorney overseeing the law and motion and appellate divisions.
A revered figure in the legal community, Justice Bedsworth has received numerous honors, including the California Judicial Council’s Distinguished Service Award. The California Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates named its only judicial award after him, and he was the first recipient of the William W. Bedsworth Judicial Civility Award in 2017, an enduring testament to his professionalism, fairness, and leadership.
- Appellate Issues
- Business/Commercial
- Employment
- Insurance
- Real Estate
- Personal Injury
Justice Bedsworth is an avid sports fan. He played college baseball and spent 15 years as a National Hockey League goal judge. He proudly wears a Stanley Cup ring awarded to him in 2008 for officiating a series final.
- Full-time Neutral, Judicate West (2025-Present)
- Associate Justice, California Fourth District Court of Appeal, Santa Ana (1997-2024)
- Judge, Orange County Superior Court (1987-1997)
- Appellate Attorney, Orange County District Attorney’s Office (1977-1987)
- Trial Attorney, Orange County District Attorney’s Office (1972-1977)
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1968-1971)
- B.A., cum laude, Loyola Marymount University (1965-1968)
- Orange County Bar Association (1984-1986)
- Orange County Deputy District Attorneys Association (1979-1981)
- Writer, Nationally Syndicated humor column, “A Criminal Waste of Space” (1981-Present); Best Newspaper Column in CA, The California Newspaper Publishers Association (2019)
- California Judicial Council’s Distinguished Service Award (2025)
- Franklin G. West Award, Orange County Bar Association (2018)
- William W. Bedsworth Judicial Civility Award, First Recipient/Namesake, CAL-ABOTA (2017)
- David G. Sills Award for Appellate Excellence, Orange County Bar Association (2015)
- Judge of the Year, Celtic Bar Association (2012)
- First Leadership Award, Orange County Lavender Bar Association (2011)
- Judge of the Year, Hispanic Bar Association (1997)
Appellate Evaluation
- As an appellate lawyer, Justice Bedsworth appeared three times before the California Supreme Court, a dozen times before the California Court of Appeal, and scores of times before the appellate division of the Superior Court.
- Justice Bedsworth served for 27 years on the Court of Appeal and was the longest serving justice in the history of the Fourth District Court of Appeal. He wrote over 2800 opinions, 220 of which were published.
- Authored an early and influential appellate opinion recognized as one of the first gay-rights precedents in American law. The decision rejected discriminatory treatment based on sexual orientation within the justice system and helped establish principles of equal protection that had not previously been acknowledged in this context. Its impact was immediate, prompting legislative amendment of a California statute and setting a foundation for later LGBTQ+ civil-rights developments.
