Area’s Presiding Appellate Judge Announces Plans to Step Down

VENTURA —  Lauded as one of the most progressive and collegial jurists in the appellate system, Presiding Justice Steven J. Stone announced Thursday he intends to retire from the Court of Appeal effective Jan. 5 to become a professional mediator.

“I have been a judge now for 22 years, and I was a lawyer for 15 years before that, and now I think it is time for Act Three,” Stone said. “I am looking forward to a new and active career in mediation and arbitration.”

Two judges on the Ventura County Superior Court--Melinda A. Johnson and Steven Z. Perren--have expressed interest in applying for Stone’s position, which will be appointed by incoming Gov. Gray Davis.

For the past 16 years, Stone has served as a jurist in the 2nd District Court of Appeal, Division 6, which covers Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

He is perhaps best known for writing the first appellate decision on the use of DNA evidence, a 1991 ruling that upheld its admissibility and paved the way for widespread use of so-called “genetic fingerprinting” in state courts.

Stone was also the driving force behind plans to build the current appellate courthouse in downtown Ventura, a stately two-story building that served as an early catalyst for downtown redevelopment.

Before it was built, lawyers gave oral arguments wherever and whenever a public room was available. Now, cases are litigated in a traditional courtroom lined with wooden benches and oak columns.

But lawyers who have argued cases before Stone, a 61-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, say his greatest accomplishment was bringing a human touch to a traditionally stuffy system.

“There was a stodginess about appellate court, but he broke that mold,” said Wendy Lascher, a Ventura appellate attorney who has appeared before Stone dozens of times.

“He will be missed very much,” she said. “He has brought a wonderful sense of progress and congeniality to the Court of Appeal.”

Ventura attorney Glen Reiser agreed.

“He sort of set the tone for the other justices,” Reiser said. “He always made the Court of Appeal fun.”

Deputy Clerk Paul McGill said Stone set a friendly but businesslike atmosphere for the court and was well-liked by employees as well as litigants.

“He is going to be sorely missed,” McGill said. “There is nobody in this world who is going to replace him.”

Two longtime Superior Court judges, however, are positioning themselves to do just that. Johnson and Perren both joined the county bench about 16 years ago and both have expressed interest in an appointment.

“It’s a great intellectual challenge,” Johnson said Thursday, adding that it would be a welcome chance of pace.

Stone sent a memo to the presiding judges in the tri-county area Thursday morning announcing his pending retirement, which had been rumored for some time.

Asked how he would describe his own hallmarks of success, Stone said: “It is hard for me to answer that, but I would hope that every person who has appeared before me has been treated fairly and with dignity. . . . That is something I have tried to achieve.”

Stone plans to take a job with J.A.M.S./ENDISPUTE, a nationwide company that specializes in mediation and arbitration, which he described as the best way to resolve disputes.

“I would like to use the skills that I have developed over the years to help parties come to their own agreements rather than have them imposed,” Stone said.