In Memoriam: Judge Paul Franklin Ferguson, Sr.

Judge Paul Franklin Ferguson, Sr., who served on the Pepperdine Law School Board of Visitors and as a Pepperdine Law Associate for close to a decade, passed away on April 23 in Houston, Texas.  Judge Ferguson served in the Korean War and later as a section chief at the National Security Agency.

From Judge Ferguson's obituary:

He was best known for presiding over civil and criminal trials as a District Judge, a position he held for 56 years. With his first appointment by the governor, he became the youngest District Judge in Texas history. He presided over landmark litigation, including the first case in Texas to recognize the “crashworthiness” doctrine that forced automobile manufacturers to prioritize the safety of their customers during their design process. He served on the Board and the Ethics Committee of the Texas State Bar’s Judicial Section, as well as the Board of Visitors at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, California. He founded and organized the Texas Association for Court Administration to promote respect for court staff. He acted as the chairman of Judicial Dispute Resolution Corporation, where he mediated hundreds of major civil lawsuits to settlement and garnered a reputation as the most successful mediator in Texas.

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