Rose Bird, the first woman to serve on California’s Supreme Court, has died of breast cancer at the age of 63. Bird was appointed to the court in 1977 by then-Governor Jerry Brown and served until she and another Brown appointee was removed by voters through a confirmation election.
Bird helped strengthen environmental and consumer rights laws, was a staunch supporter of women’s rights, and opposed the death penalty.
“Rose Bird was a feminist and a champion of human rights – a woman long ahead of the times,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
