Baxter was born in Fowler,California,and was raised on his family's farm. He is of Armenian descent;all four of his grandparents were born in Armenia and later moved to the United States.[1] His paternal grandfather changed the family surname from Bagdasarian to Baxter because of strong anti-Armenian prejudice in the Fresno area during the 1930s.[1]
In 1967,Baxter began his legal career as a Fresno County deputy district attorney. Subsequently,he entered private practice in civil law in 1969.[4] It was during this time he was an associate and then a partner in the Fresno law firm of Andrews,Andrews,Thaxter,Jones and Baxter where he practiced civil law.[5]
In 1983,he moved back into public service as Appointments Secretary to Governor George Deukmejian,advising him on judicial and executive appointments.[4]
In December 1988,Governor Deukmejian appointed Baxter as an associate justice of the California Court of Appeal for the Fifth District. In January 1991,he was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California.[4] He was retained by the electorate in November 2002,with 71.5% of the vote,for a 12-year term.[6]
Baxter retired from the court at the end of his term on January 4,2015.[7][8]
Judicial philosophy
Baxter preferred not to describe his own judicial philosophy,but a 1993 article in the Los Angeles Times described him as having an "emerging reputation among court observers as cautious,conservative and competent".[9] Observers split between those who considered him a solid part of the Court's conservative majority (led by Malcolm M. Lucas),and others who considered him harder to pin down.[10]
↑"JFK Throws Support Behind Mercy Bowl". Madera Tribune. No.136. California Digital Newspaper Collection. UPI. 23 November 1961. p.2. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
↑"Hastings Community". Hastings Alumni Publications. 81. San Francisco, CA: Hastings College of the Law Alumni Association: 23. Fall 1992. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
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