Consuelo Maria Callahan
US Circuit Judge, US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
SCBA 2006 Judge of the Year

By Margaret Anaya Tan

Consuelo Maria Callahan is a dynamic woman. She loves the field of law, and since being admitted to the California bar in December 1975, she has practiced both criminal and civil law. She entered the judicial field in 1986 and by 2003, President George W. Bush had appointed her to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate vote to confirm was unanimous. During the confirmation process, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy issued this statement to the Senate:

Judge Callahan enjoys the full support of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Not a single person or organization has submitted a letter of opposition or raised concerns about her. No controversy. No red flags. No basis for concern. No opposition. This explains why her nomination was voted out of the Judiciary Committee with a unanimous, bipartisan vote on an expedited basis.

She not only enjoyed the full support of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus but she has always enjoyed the support of the San Joaquin community, her personal and professional home. In May 2006, Hola Lodi made her its cover story: “Lady Justice Consuelo Callahan Rules with Compassion and Common Sense.” Sara Cardine, a News­ Sentinel staff writer, stated she has “grit and smarts [and] has achieved judicial prominence and become a uniquely inspiring role model” [for both the Latino and general communities.]. Her sister is quoted as saying the Judge is “sensible and saucy” and attributes the Judge’s success to understanding opportunities and taking risks. Judge Callahan agrees and emphasizes these characteristics to young people when visiting high schools and colleges.

Her amicable, compassionate ways led U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein to support her Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appointment too. Senator Feinstein stated:

Justice Callahan comes to this nomination with the strong support of her colleagues in the Sacramento area legal community. Notably, all 10 justices who serve with Justice Callahan on the Third Appellate District have written in support of her nomination. The justices write that “during her more than six years on our court, Connie has shown that she has the integrity, capacity, collegiality and diligence to serve with distinction on the Ninth Circuit.”

With the unanimous vote behind her, this petite, feisty, fashionable justice took a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District on May 28, 2003. At her confirmation, Chief Judge Mary M. Schroeder administered the oath of office. Attendees heard remarks about her from Tim Hopkins of the American Bar Association, Third District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland, retired Third District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Robert Puglia, McGeorge School of Law Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, District Judge Morrison England and Albert Ellis of Hakeem, Ellis & Marengo.

Judge Callahan is down to earth. While she maintains a judicious decorum in her black robe, when it’s off, she is a humorous, spirited, family-loving, family-oriented person. Her chambers are homey with a lovely view of the Tower Bridge and the powerful Ziggurat building, now the State Department of General Services, and Old Town. However, with 450 cases, the reading, research and decision-making preclude her from enjoying the view too frequently. The Judge has 4 law clerks and one judicial assistant to help her but, no doubt, her metabolism is in high gear at all times. And if she isn’t burning calories preparing cases, she’s probably burning them dancing like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. What? Yes, Callahan tap dances, matching the masters’ steps “step for dancing step.” She admitted that some of the skits she writes for the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court include tap dancing with a song thrown in.

Judge Callahan teaches at the California Judicial Education and Research Institute, the University of the Pacific, the University of California, Davis School of Law, Delta College Police Academy, Humphrey School of Law and Delta College. She also teaches for the Rutter Group. She has served as a moot court judge for the UC Davis School of Law Moot Court, the Texas Young Lawyers Association Regional Trial Competition and the McGeorge Law School Moot Court Finals.

Moreover, the Judge is currently a member of the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court and a Regent for the University of the Pacific. She was a Board Member and President of the San Joaquin County Child Abuse Prevention Council, co-organizer of Government Day in the Stockton Unified School District and a member of Rotary International.

Connie Callahan recognizes the honors life has bestowed on her and is humbled and proud given her family history. Just 2 generations ago, her Spanish and Irish grandparents immigrated to California. Her parents valued education and encouraged the Judge and her siblings in that arena. She knew she wanted to be in the legal field by high school. Even after becoming a judge, Callahan returned to get her Master of Laws at the University of Virginia.

“I don’t think anyone has been denied a job because he or she had an education,” she opined. An education “helps people succeed in attaining their passions, no matter what they are. And it opens many doors for them whether their goals are to be creative or to get a conventional job.”

The shelves behind her desk are filled with mementos of her life. Friends, colleagues, interns and law clerks have given many to her. Everyone wants to be remembered. And she does. With her keen mind and great memory, she forgets no one. So be alert. If you meet her, she’ll remember you as readily as she remembers the law and her mission the mission of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, namely, “to provide an impartial forum for the just and prompt resolution of cases through the uniform and coherent application of the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America.”

And of course this year, the Sacramento legal community remembers Consuelo Maria Callahan by bestowing on her a significant honor: 2006 Judge of the Year. Since its inception, Judge Callahan is only the second woman to receive this award, the first being Judge Cecily Bond in 1988.

On a popular website about federal judges called Underneath Their Robes, the Judge was coined “Dancing Queen of the Ninth Circuit.” Further, The Daily Journal stated “that she was a hoofer with a sense of humor who surprised judicial and legal gatherings by starting her presentations seriously and then ending them with a statement about how appellate judges liked to tap dance around issues.” Her now-memorable quote, still viable, is that “I may be the highest ranking tap dancer in federal court.”

Margaret Anaya Tan, a retiree since 2004, was a lawyer in state service for 23 years working at the California State Teachers Retirement System and the Department of Education.

July / August 2006