HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-27 - LaDoris CordellProclamation
HONORING LADORIS CORDELL
WHEREAS, LaDoris Hazzard Cordell received her BA degree from Antioch College in 1971, is a 1974 graduate
of Stanford Law School, and in 1976 opened the first private law practice in East Palo Alto; and
WHEREAS, LaDoris Cordell directed a tutoring program for black school children in the Mississippi Delta in 1967
and worked for a year as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in San Francisco; and
WHEREAS, in 1975, LaDoris Cordell was the first person in the Western United States to serve as the Earl Warren
Intern at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; and
WHEREAS, in 1978, LaDoris Cordell was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School,
and during that four-year tenure, LaDoris Cordell implemented a minority admissions program resulting in the
emergence of Stanford Law School as national leader in enrollment of students of color; and
WHEREAS, in 1982, Governor Jerry Brown appointed LaDoris Cordell to the Municipal Court of Santa Clara
County, making her the first African American woman judge in all of Northern California; during her tenure in the
Municipal Court, she served as the Presiding Judge and as a Justice Pro Tern on the State Court of Appeal where she
was the first judge in the state to order convicted drunk drivers to install breath devices in their vehicles making it
impossible for those individuals to drink and drive; and
WHEREAS, in 1988, Judge Cordell overwhelmingly won election to the Superior Court of Santa Clara County
making her the first African American Superior Court Judge in the county's history and the first African American
woman to sit on the Superior Court in Northern California; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure on the Superior Court, Judge Cordell implemented many innovative programs
including utilizes community volunteers to assist the courts in monitoring children who have been placed in
guardianships; and
WHEREAS, in December 1988, Judge Cordell traveled to South Africa to participate in that country's first Human
Rights conference which trip is the basis for an award-winning PBS documentary, "Color of Justice"; and
WHEREAS, LaDoris Cordell has served in various capacities with the National Conference for Community and
Justice, the Asian Law Alliance, Mills College, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children, United Way of Santa Clara
County, Community Working Group, Inc., Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, the San Francisco Family Violence
Project, and the East Palo Alto Art & Music Project; and
WHEREAS, LaDoris Cordell served as Stanford University's vice provost and special counselor to the president
for campus relations from 2001 to 2009, where she supervised the Office for Campus relations; and
WHEREAS, LaDoris Cordell is the recipient of numerous awards for social activism and breaking race and gender
barriers including an Advocates for Justice Award from the Legal Aid Society of Santa Clara County in 1996, the
Social Justice Award by the San Francisco Women's Centers and was honored for her work on behalf of children by
Legal Advocates for Children & Youth of Santa Clara County, the Hidden Villa’s Josephine and Frank Duveneck
Humanitarian Award in 1998; being named "Judge of the Year" by the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association
in 2001; was the recipient of the Rose Bird Memorial Award by the California Women Lawyers Association and the
Rosa Parks Ordinary People Award from the NAACP in 2004, is the recipient of the Santa Clara County's Woman of
Achievement Award, and was given an Award of Special Recognition by the Human Relations Commission of Santa
Clara County; and
WHEREAS, in November 2003, Judge Cordell won election to the Palo Alto City Council where she served four
years; and
WHEREAS, after a national search, the City of San Jose, CA, chose Judge Cordell to be the City’s Independent
Police Auditor (IPA). Under her leadership from 2010 to 2015, the IPA office gained national recognition for its
groundbreaking work in civilian oversight of the police; and
WHEREAS, in partnership with the National Conference of Christians & Jews, LaDoris Cordell established the
first formal restitution program for crime victims in Santa Clara County; and
WHEREAS, Ladoris Cordell is an accomplished pianist and music has always been an important part of her life, in
2014, she co-founded the African American Composer Initiative (AACI); an organization whose mission is to bring
the music of these composers to the world; and
WHEREAS, LaDoris Cordell’s memoir, Her Honor: My Life on the Bench...What Works, What's Broken, and How
to Change It, published in 2021 is a provocative look into the hearts and minds of judges and a behind the scenes look
into chambers; and
WHEREAS, as part of the Recognizing the Historic Contributions of Santa Clara County Women project, LaDoris
Cordell is one of 25 women leaders in the South Bay honored with banners and murals painted by 13 women artists
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Lydia Kou, Mayor of the City of Palo Alto on behalf of the entire City Council do hereby
record and express sincere thanks and appreciation to LaDoris Cordell for her meritorious service rendered and
numerous contributions made during her many years of professional and public service.
PRESENTED: February 27, 2023
__________________________
Lydia Kou
Mayor