The California State University honors the life of Justice Norman L. Epstein, who passed away on March 24, 2023, at the age of 89. Justice Epstein served as the CSU system's first general counsel in 1962 and was responsible for establishing the Office of General Counsel.
Justice Epstein's legal opinions and decisions led to many of the system's initial policies and practices, and his philosophy of proactive law continues to guide the office today. In 1975, he left the CSU when he was appointed by Gov. Ronald Reagan to the Los Angeles Municipal Court. Three more governors would appoint him to increasingly higher judicial positions —Los Angeles Superior Court (Gov. Jerry Brown, Jr.), California 2nd District Court of Appeal, Division 4 (Gov. George Deukmejian), and Presiding Justice of Division 4 (Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) —until his retirement in 2018.
Throughout Justice Epstein's 45-year legal career, education remained an essential component of his service. Among his contributions, he created an apprentice program adopted by many CSU campuses for students interested in the legal profession and lectured for many years at the California Judicial College and USC. Justice Epstein was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated with his undergraduate and law degree from UCLA.
“As the CSU's first general counsel, Justice Epstein was a foundational leader and exceptional public servant," said CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester. “The CSU was fortunate to have had a person of Epstein's character and intellect serve in its formative years. His commitment to education and the creation of the CSU Court Observers apprenticeship program left a legacy for CSU students."