Louis LeBaron (1898 – March 30, 1989) was a justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Hawaii from 1942 to 1955.[1][2]
Born in San Jose, California, LeBaron received a B.A. from the University of California and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.[2] He practiced law in Hawaii for eleven years before turning to judicial service, first serving as a District Court magistrate from 1935 to 1937.[1][2]
On June 10, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated LeBaron to a seat on the newly established first circuit court of Hawaii.[3] On March 2, 1942, Roosevelt elevated LeBaron to the Territorial Supreme Court,[4] to the seat vacated by the elevation of Samuel B. Kemp to the position of chief justice.[5]
In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declined to renominate LeBaron, a Democrat, to another term on the court, instead appointing Republican Circuit Court judge Philip L. Rice to the seat, prompting criticism from Associate Justice Ingram Stainback.[6] Stainback also deemed it "cruel" that LeBaron was "let out without any trouble or compensation", though Rice expressed appreciation of LeBaron's courteous response to the situation.[7] In 1957, LeBaron "set off a controversy" when he alleged in an annual review of the Bishop Estate that the practice of the Kamehameha Schools giving preference to the admission of students of part-Hawaiian ancestry constituted racial discrimination and unlawful segregation.[2]
LeBaron died at The Queen's Medical Center at the age of 91, and was survived by his wife and two daughters.[1][2]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Louis LeBaron, former jurist, is dead at 91", Honolulu Star-Bulletin (April 3, 1989), p. D-16.
- ^ a b c d e "Louis LeBaron, 91, territorial justice", The Honolulu Advertiser (April 3, 1989), p. 20.
- ^ "Louis LeBaron Is Appointed Judge", Hawaii Tribune-Herald (June 10, 1937), p. 1.
- ^ "LeBaron Named To Isle Supreme Court Position", Hawaii Tribune-Herald (March 2, 1942), p. 1.
- ^ "Three in Line For Associate Justice Post Here", Honolulu Star-Bulletin (June 16, 1941), p. 1.
- ^ "Stainback Assails GOP", The Honolulu Advertiser (February 16, 1955), p. 6.
- ^ "Rice Sworn in As High Court Justice", The Honolulu Advertiser (February 16, 1955), p. 6.
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