William W Bedsworth

Gov. Pete Wilson named a longtime Orange County Superior Court judge to the 4th District Court of Appeal, passing over a jurist who drew protests from women's rights groups for giving O.J. Simpson custody of his children last year. The governor on Tuesday named William W. Bedsworth, 49, of Mission Viejo as an associate justice in the appellate court serving Orange County. Among those mentioned as possible finalists on the governor's list was Orange County Superior Court Judge Nancy Wieben Stock.

Gov. Pete Wilson named a longtime Orange County Superior Court judge to the 4th District Court of Appeal, passing over a jurist who drew protests from women's rights groups for giving O.J. Simpson custody of his children last year. The governor on Tuesday named William W. Bedsworth, 49, of Mission Viejo as an associate justice in the appellate court serving Orange County. Among those mentioned as possible finalists on the governor's list was Orange County Superior Court Judge Nancy Wieben Stock.

There's nothing quite like a day in the life of Judge William W. Bedsworth: It's two parts "Night Court," one part "Wide World of Sports." An Orange County Superior Court judge who had not a lick of experience in the sport of hockey, Bedsworth managed to persuade the Mighty Ducks hockey team to hire him as a home-game goal judge. Presiding over some of the justice system's most weighty matters has precious little to do with determining whether a whizzing hunk of rubber crosses a thin red line.

There's nothing quite like a day in the life of Judge William W. Bedsworth: It's two parts "Night Court," one part "Wide World of Sports." An Orange County Superior Court judge who had not a lick of experience in the sport of hockey, Bedsworth managed to persuade the Mighty Ducks hockey team to hire him as a home-game goal judge. Presiding over some of the justice system's most weighty matters has precious little to do with determining whether a whizzing hunk of rubber crosses a thin red line.

Orange County prosecutors, trying to make it easier for themselves to enforce child-support orders, won a victory from the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, two months after they were rebuffed by the California Supreme Court. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor ordered a temporary freeze on proceedings in the case of Orange County resident Philip William Feiock, 43, who was accused of ignoring a court order and failing to make monthly child-support payments of $150 for his three children.

Deputy Dist. Atty. William W. Bedsworth took the lead in early returns Tuesday night against Harbor Municipal Court Commissioner Robert H. Gallivan in the only Superior Court race in Orange County. Bedsworth led 52% to Gallivan's 48%. In North Municipal Court, Judge Betty L. Elias, the only incumbent forced into a November runoff, took a solid lead in early returns with 56% of the vote to 44% for Santa Ana attorney James A. Bates. Riverside Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger B.

Deputy Dist. Atty. William W. Bedsworth and Irvine attorney Robert H. Gallivan foresaw the same scenario in their race for a seat on the Superior Court bench this year. Bedsworth predicted that he and Gallivan would be in a runoff after Tuesday's election because the third candidate, Los Angeles County deputy prosecutor Joseph L. Barilla, would get enough votes to keep anyone from winning outright. Gallivan thought the same thing.

Judge William W. Bedsworth has done the community a tremendous service by sending a man convicted of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter to prison for seven years. Perhaps as more of these monsters are removed from the streets, the devastation created by them will diminish. GENE P. MORRIS Lake Forest

Robert H. Gallivan, an Orange County trial lawyer for more than 20 years, has been appointed commissioner for Harbor Municipal Court. He starts July 28, said Presiding Judge Brian Carter. As commissioner, Gallivan primarily will hear traffic and small claims cases. But Carter said that Gallivan is so well-respected that attorneys probably will agree to have him hear other cases as judge pro tem. Gallivan replaces Glenn Mahler, who was appointed to a full judgeship in February by Gov.

Deputy Dist. Atty. William W. Bedsworth took the lead in early returns Tuesday night against Harbor Municipal Court Commissioner Robert H. Gallivan in the only Superior Court race in Orange County. Bedsworth led 52% to Gallivan's 48%. In North Municipal Court, Judge Betty L. Elias, the only incumbent forced into a November runoff, took a solid lead in early returns with 56% of the vote to 44% for Santa Ana attorney James A. Bates. Riverside Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger B.

Orange County prosecutors, trying to make it easier for themselves to enforce child-support orders, won a victory from the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, two months after they were rebuffed by the California Supreme Court. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor ordered a temporary freeze on proceedings in the case of Orange County resident Philip William Feiock, 43, who was accused of ignoring a court order and failing to make monthly child-support payments of $150 for his three children.

Deputy Dist. Atty. William W. Bedsworth and Irvine attorney Robert H. Gallivan foresaw the same scenario in their race for a seat on the Superior Court bench this year. Bedsworth predicted that he and Gallivan would be in a runoff after Tuesday's election because the third candidate, Los Angeles County deputy prosecutor Joseph L. Barilla, would get enough votes to keep anyone from winning outright. Gallivan thought the same thing.

A Superior Court judge dismissed a serial rape case against a Buena Park man on the grounds that prosecutors had not laid a proper foundation for introducing DNA-test evidence against him. Prosecutors can either re-file rape and related charges against Danny Harris, 41, or ask the 4th District Court of Appeal to reverse the ruling by Judge William W. Bedsworth. In an interview, Bedsworth said, "The truth is, I hope they (appellate judges) decide I'm wrong."

LEGAL OVERLOAD?: Orange County, which hosts the State Bar convention in Anaheim starting today, has nearly 9,000 lawyers of its own, a 40% increase in 10 years. . . . Some legal pundits wonder about a glut, but Superior Court Judge William W. Bedsworth says no. "The problem is not too many lawyers, but too many problems," says Bedsworth, a local bar columnist and himself a legal pundit. "Even the ambulance chaser doesn't find work without someone to chase." O.C.