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Armand Arabian

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Armand Arabian
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
In office
February 3, 1990 – February 28, 1996
Nominated byGeorge Deukmejian
Preceded byMarcus Kaufman[1]
Succeeded byMing W. Chin[2]
Personal details
BornDecember 12, 1934
New York City, U.S.
Died (aged 83)
Spouse
Nancy Megurian
​
(m. 1962)​
Alma materBoston University (BA, JD)
University of Southern California (LLM)

Armand M. Arabian (December 12, 1934 – March 28, 2018) was an American lawyer who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California from February 3, 1990, to February 28, 1996.

Early life and education

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Armand was born in New York City to John and Aghavnie (née Yalian) Arabian, who had immigrated from Armenia following the 1915 Armenian genocide.[3][1] Arabian received a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University in 1956. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958.[1] After his discharge, he obtained a J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1961, and a LL.M. from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1970.[4]

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Before his appointment to the court, Arabian was a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, 1962–1963, and an attorney in private practice in Van Nuys, California, 1963–1972. In 1972, Arabian was appointed by California Governor Ronald Reagan as a Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge, where he served one year. Arabian was then elevated by Governor Reagan to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he presided from 1973 to 1983.

In 1979, Arabian's initial appointment to the Court of Appeals was the subject of controversy: "When California Governor Jerry Brown left the state to campaign for the presidency in 1979, California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb appointed Armand Arabian to the court of appeal, knowing well that Brown intended to appoint someone else. When Brown returned, he withdrew Arabian's appointment and made his own. The ensuing dispute made it to the state supreme court, which ruled both the appointment and the withdrawal legal."[5] Four years later, Governor George Deukmejian officially appointed Arabian an associate justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, where he served from 1983 to 1990.

In 1990, Deukmejian appointed Arabian the 105th justice to the California Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement in 1996.[1][6][7][8] As a jurist, Arabian was known as a law-and-order conservative.[9][10]

On the court, he was a leader in the reform of California rape laws.[11][3] In a 1973 criminal trial, Arabian declined to instruct the jury to treat skeptically the victim's testimony—to the effect that a rape charge "is easily made and, once made, difficult to defend against"—an instruction the state Supreme Court had ruled was mandatory.[12] In 1994, Arabian wrote the unanimous opinion in People v. Iniguez (1994),[13] which held that a sexual assault without struggle can be deemed rape, instead of the lesser crime of sexual battery.[14][15]

Since stepping down from the bench, Arabian has worked as a mediator and arbitrator.[16][17][18][19] He has also served on the Board of Visitors at Pepperdine University School of Law.[20]

Honors and awards

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Arabian has received numerous honors and awards.[21] In 1973, the Armenian Professional Society conferred on him its annual Achievement Award.[22] In 1981, Arabian received Boston University School of Law's Silver Shingle Award for Distinguished Service to the Legal Profession, and in 1990, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University.[23][24] In 2011, Arabian was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association's Community Legal Foundation.[25][26] Arabian was given honorary Doctor of Law degrees by several law schools, including: Southwestern School Law, 1990; Pepperdine University, 1990; University of West Los Angeles, 1994; Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 1997; and American College Law, 2001.[21]

Personal life

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On August 26, 1962, he married Nancy Megurian (February 17, 1939 – July 21, 2016) in Los Angeles, California.[1][27] They had two children: a daughter, Allison Ann Demurjian, and a son, Robert Armand Arabian, who is also an attorney.[28] He died on March 28, 2018, at the age of 83.[29]

Selected publications

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Arabian, Armand (2011). From Gravel to Gavel. Los Angeles, CA: Flagship Books. ISBN 978-0615550435.

--- (2010). The Sexual Assault Counselor-Victim Privilege: Jurisdictional Delay into an Unclaimed Sanctuary[permanent dead link‍], 37 Pepp. L. Rev. 5, an update of his earlier article, "The Cautionary Instruction in Sex Cases: A Lingering Insult," 10 Sw. L. Rev. 585 (1985).

--- (November 1995). "Condos, Cats and CC&R's: Invasion of the Castle Common," 23 Pepperdine L. Rev. 1.

Photos and video

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hagar, Philip (February 3, 1990). "Governor Picks Friend Arabian for High Court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "EDITORIAL -- Justice Ming W. Chin". San Francisco Chronicle. January 29, 1996. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Press release: An Open Conversation Between Appo Jabarian & Justice Armand Arabian". City of Glendale, California. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "Members: Armand Arabian". California State Bar. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Singer-Vine, Jeremy (August 18, 2011). "When the Cat's Away...What happens when a governor goes on the campaign trail?". Slate. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Dolan, Maura (November 10, 1995). "State Justice Arabian Expected to Step Down : Law: Conservative Deukmejian appointee will announce Supreme Court retirement Monday, sources say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  7. ^ Capps, Steven A.; Sullivan, Kathleen (January 26, 1996). "Pro-choice pick for high court draws fire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  8. ^ Egelko, Bob (November 16, 2014). "Gov. Jerry Brown lets state Supreme Court vacancy linger". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Chiang, Harriet (January 29, 1996). "State Top Court Begins to Show Wilson's Stamp / Capable new justices move panel to center". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  10. ^ "State Supreme Court Refuses New Trial For 'Trailside Killer'". San Francisco Gate. March 7, 1995. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  11. ^ Brazil, Eric; Hatfield, Larry D. (November 13, 1995). "Justice Arabian to step down in February". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  12. ^ "When a Judge Decides Not to Follow the Letter of the Law / The Commission on Judicial Performance has reined in a member of the bench. Despite the outcry, its action isn't altogether surprising". San Francisco Gate. July 19, 1998. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  13. ^ People v. Iniguez, 7 Cal.4th 847 (1994)
  14. ^ Dolan, Maura (May 24, 1994). "Assault Without Struggle Can Be Rape, Court Says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  15. ^ Lewin, Tamar (June 3, 1994). "Courts Struggle Over How Much Force It Takes to Be a Rape". New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  16. ^ "Hon. Armand Arabian". Alternative Resolution Centers. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  17. ^ "Ex-Justice Arabian To Open Van Nuys Arbitration Office". San Francisco Chronicle. February 29, 1996. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  18. ^ Guccione, Jean (July 8, 2000). "Referee Quits in Ethics Dispute". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  19. ^ Schrag, Peter (2004). Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 111. ISBN 0520243870. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "Board of Visitors". Pepperdine University Law School. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Entry for Armand Arabian". Marquis Who's Who. Retrieved June 8, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^ "List of Achievement Award Recipients". Armenian Professional Society. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  23. ^ "Past Silver Shingle Award Recipients". Boston University School of Law. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  24. ^ "Boston University Alumni Award Recipients: 1946-2014". Boston University. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  25. ^ "Valley Community Legal Foundation to Honor Arabian, Nash". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. April 25, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  26. ^ Grace, Roger M. (May 16, 2011). "At National Armenian Bar Gathering: Delightful People, Abysmal Chinese Food". Metropolitan News-Enterprise (Los Angeles, CA). Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  27. ^ State of California. California Marriage Index, 1960-1985. Microfiche [database online]. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California, via Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
  28. ^ "Members: Robert Armand Arabian". California Bar Association. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  29. ^ Former California Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian, an advocate for rape victims, dies at 83
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
1990–1996 		Succeeded by
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