Robert K. Puglia – Third District Court of Appeal, California

Full Name: Robert K.Puglia

Year of Induction: 2015

Bob Puglia was a trial court judge for three years before his appointment in 1974 to the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, where he was the Presiding Justice for twenty four years. In 1984, he became the fourth president of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal and, until his retirement in1998, he was the master of ceremonies of its annual dinner meeting. One of five Chief Judges on a “Firing Line” program taped at the Council’s 1996 conference, hespoke forcefully and eloquently in countering William F. Buckley’s position on the topic of “Drugs, Judges, and Justice.” A champion of the Council, he was a respected and admired leader due to his wit, congenial nature, and the invaluable guidance he provided to colleagues.

A graduate of the Ohio State University in 1952, he enlisted in the Army and saw combat as an infantry sergeant in the Korean War. He earned his LL.B. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. He was a Deputy Attorney General, Chief Deputy District Attorney of Sacramento County, and then a civil law litigator. After appointment to the bench, he served on the Judicial Council of California and as president of the California Judges Association. He died of cancer in 2005.