Joseph Richard "Rick" Distaso (born January 25, 1967, in Los Angeles County, California)[2] is an American lawyer and judge.
Rick Distaso | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Stanislaus County Superior Court | |
| Assumed office 2005 | |
| Appointed by | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Preceded by | Wray F. Ladine[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Richard Distaso January 25, 1967 Los Angeles County, California |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA)[1] Loyola Marymount University (JD)[1] |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1992-Present |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Army Judge Advocate General's Corps 75th Legal Operations Detachment |
He was the Stanislaus County, California, senior deputy district attorney who served as the lead prosecutor in the case against Scott Peterson, charged with and later convicted of murdering his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn child Conner Peterson in 2002. Laci was eight months pregnant with Conner at the time of the murder.[3]
Distaso attended University of Southern California as an undergraduate, and attended Loyola Law School for his law education. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1992.[4] After graduation from law school, he was a lawyer for the Judge Advocate General's Corps, United States Army through 1996, with the rank of captain, and then joined the Stanislaus County district attorney's office.[4]
In 2005, Distaso was appointed a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Distaso was deployed to Afghanistan for a tour in the Army Reserves. In 2008, he was deployed to Afghanistan where he served as a Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Commander of the 75th Legal Operations Detachment in the U.S. Army Reserves JAG Corps.[5]
As of December 2019, he is a judge for the Army's 4th Judicial Circuit.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c d GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER APPOINTS TWO TO THE STANISLAUS COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
- ^ California Birth Index
- ^ Skoloff, Brian (20 November 2004). In Peterson Trial, Substance Won Out Over Flash, The Day (New London), Retrieved November 19, 2010
- ^ a b (31 May 2004). Legal styles collide in Redwood City / PROSECUTION: Is the charisma gap a benefit or burden?, San Francisco Chronicle, Retrieved November 19, 2010
- ^ The Honorable Joseph R. Distaso
- ^ Rocket List
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