Obituaries
Federal Judge Robert J. Timlin from Riverside Co. Passes Away at 84
"Judge Timlin embodied the finest values of the judiciary."
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin, who spent decades on the bench in Riverside County, died Wednesday.
Timlin was 84. The cause of his death was not disclosed.
"Judge Timlin embodied the finest values of the judiciary," said Chief Judge Virginia Phillips of the Central District of California. "He was universally lauded for his intellect, fairness and diligence, and all who appeared before him experienced his patient and kind demeanor on the bench. We will miss him very much."
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After graduating from Georgetown University School of Law in the early 1960s, Timlin worked in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and in 1964, was assigned to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California.
He went into private practice in the late 1960s, when he relocated to Corona, where he was retained as the city attorney. He also served as legal counsel for the city of Norco around the same time.
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Beginning in 1971, Timlin served as a part-time magistrate, and in 1976, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him to the Corona Municipal Court. Four years later, the lifelong Democrat was appointed to a Riverside County Superior Court judgeship.
In 1990, then-Gov. George Deukmejian appointed Timlin to the state Court of Appeal, where he served as an associate justice until 1994, when President Bill Clinton placed him on the federal bench.
Timlin attained "senior status" with the U.S. District Court in February 2005, semi-retiring and assuming an inactive role in court matters while continuing to pull down full salary.
Phillips ordered that flags at federal courthouses in the Central District of California be flown at half-mast in Timlin's honor.
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--City News Service/Image via United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Annual Report, pg 13, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...
